Burma's Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has won a by-election for parliament, the National League for Democracy (NLD) has said.

Anna Roberts, executive director of Burma Campaign UK, said that the win would "give people a lot of hope... but it is a symbolic victory" because power still lies in the hands of the military which is unaccountable to the parliament.

It is too early to remove large scale economic sanctions, she said, because it would take away the pressure for change on the government.

"There are still hundreds of political prisoners... and human rights abuses are getting worse with the Burmese army continuing brutal attacks in ethnic areas," she said.

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