'Pilgrimage' for Suu Kyi and son

(EPA)

Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese pro-democracy leader, ventured outside Rangoon yesterday for the first time since her release from house arrest.

The 66-year-old Nobel laureate made a low-key visit to the ancient city of Bagan amid tight security. She has been free to travel since her release in November, but the government has warned of "chaos and riots" if she tries to rally support.

The trip with her British-born son, Kim Aris, was described as a pilgrimage and was her first since 2003.