Burmese activist waits to hear her fate

Published: July 13, 2009 at 2:12 AM

YANGON, Myanmar, July 13 (UPI) -- Aung San Suu Kyi waits near Yangon, Myanmar, to learn whether she will serve five years in prison for violating her house arrest, Myanmar officials said.

Testimony in Suu Kyi's trial ended July 10 and a verdict is expected soon, The New York Times reported.

An American swam to Suu Kyi's compound, claiming he was rescuing her from an assassination attempt, and authorities took them both to Insein Prison, which is also where the trial is being held.

The trial has energized dissident exiles and even inspired officials in other Southeast Asian countries to criticize Myanmar's military government, but many citizens of Myanmar -- formerly known as Burma --are only vaguely aware of Suu Kyi, the newspaper said.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon attempted unsuccessfully to meet with Suu Kyi on a recent visit to Myanmar, but was kept from seeing her by authorities.

At 64, she is the only living Nobel Peace Prize laureate in detention. She led anti-government protests in 1988 and spent most of the next two decades under house arrest.

© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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