Suu Kyi voters on their future hopes

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Supporters of Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) celebrate outside the NLD headquarters in Yangon Sunday.

As Burmese voted in by-elections for 45 seats across the country, the BBC's Jonah Fisher talked to residents of Nobel prize winner Aung San Suu Ky's constituency about their hopes for the future, reports BBC.
Saturday night was not a restful one for Thaung Nyant. "I was so excited about voting I didn't sleep at all," the betel nut and bamboo farmer said proudly.
Then as dawn broke in the town of Kawhmu he could wait no longer. Thaung rode his bike to the polling station and became one of the first Burmese ever to cast a vote for Aung San Suu Kyi.
Fifteen months ago, when an election was last held, the 52 year-old didn't even bother to take part.
"There was no candidate I liked," he said with a smile. "Now we have Daw (Madame) Suu and we all love and yearn for her."
In the 2010 vote, Aung San Suu Kyi was still under house arrest in Rangoon. That vote was widely derided as a sham with no international observers or foreign journalists allowed in. Ms Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy (NLD), declined to take part.
This time, after a year of dramatic reforms, she agreed to compete in one of 45 by-elections being held across Burma. She chose as her constituency a rural district located to the south west of Rangoon in the Irrawaddy Delta.
Thadimonhtar Htay Yi Nun Thadimonhtar Htay Yi ® said people were lining the streets to support 'Aunty Suu'
And it was there that Burma's Nobel laureate spent the morning of polling day.
Ignoring concerns about her fragile health she'd travelled from Rangoon on Saturday to spend the eve of the poll among her electorate.
Then at first light, accompanied by hundreds of supporters and journalists, she toured Kawhmu's polling stations. With the roads dusty and in bad shape this was probably the first and only time the area will experience traffic gridlock.
One of those excitedly lining the streets to see their candidate was a shaven-headed nun, Thadimonhtar Htay Yi.
"We are here to support Aunty Suu" she said, "and to thank her for her sacrifice for us".
Alongside her and unable to suppress a wide grin that showed off his teeth stained red from chewing betel nut was Htwe Thein Naing.
"I can see the sun shine now," he said. "There will be more change in the future."