LONDON, Feb. 8 (UPI) -- Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi said sanctions on the ruling military junta should stay in place despite government statements on reform.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, was released from house arrest last year after Myanmar had its first general election in decades.
She said that Washington shouldn't lift sanctions imposed on Myanmar even though military authorities released her from custody, The Independent newspaper in London reports.
Her National League for Democracy said its research on the impact of U.S. sanctions found that ruling junta leaders suffered more than the rest of the population.
Washington hit Myanmar with sanctions in 1998 after the military suppressed a student-led reform movement. The crackdown left thousands of people dead.
The international community pressed Myanmar on democratic reforms ahead of last year's elections, though pledges of reform, as well as the general election, were largely discounted.
Suu Kyi was quoted by The Independent as saying the legacy of political conflict in Myanmar came at a price. Those who were considering investing in Myanmar, she said, should "put a premium" on the rule of law, including the rights of workers.
