Suu Kyi defends first year in power

Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi defended her civilian government's first year in power in a rare public address on Thursday night, saying her party was dedicated to rebuilding a nation ravaged by decades of army rule.

The democracy icon was swept into office after her party's euphoric victory in the first free polls in a generation.

But her first twelve months in power have been rocky.

Fresh unrest in Myanmar's ethnic minority borderlands and disappointing economic growth in particular have cast a pall over Suu Kyi's two top policy promises: peace and development.

While many in Myanmar still revere the former activist as a saint, criticism of her administration has grown in some international circles, particularly over her tepid response to a bloody military crackdown on the Muslim Rohingya.

In her speech on Thursday, which was broadcast on national television to mark the government's one year anniversary, Suu Kyi stressed that her party, NLD, had inherited a host of complications from the country's military past.

"We are now trying to change a system which existed for over 50 years," she said.

"We can see our goals clearly and we are marching to reach them. The goals are national reconciliation and peace," she added.