Thousands flocked to hear the Nobel Peace Prize winner speak in the coastal district of Dawei, as she made her first political trip outside Rangoon since declaring she would stand for office in the April 1 polls.

"If we move in the right direction our country will have many opportunities. We are eager to seize them," she told a jubilant crowd that filled the southern town soon after her arrival.

Ms Suu Kyi's decision to stand for a seat in parliament is the latest sign of dramatic change sweeping through Burma after nearly half a century of outright military rule.