Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is welcoming what she described as the “free and fair” election in neighboring Thailand as a sign of hope for improved relations between the countries.

The Burmese political leader was asked about the Thai election Tuesday in the pagoda city of Bagan, where she is vacationing with her son Kim Aris. She said she was pleased to see the election won by a woman, Yingluck Shinawatra, but that the most important thing is the impact on Thai-Burmese relations.

Aung San Suu Kyi also said she was pleased that Thailand will have a government that is democratically elected by its people.

Burma's own government came to power after elections in November that were widely criticized for failing to allow opposition parties to compete fairly. Aung San Suu Kyi was not permitted to be a candidate because she was under house arrest on charges widely seen as politically motivated.

She and her National League for Democracy were overwhelming winners in elections in 1990 but were never permitted by the military to take office.