Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Yettaw, Webb arrive in Thailand

|
|
 
  
Published: Aug. 16, 2009 at 7:07 AM

BANGKOK, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- A U.S. resident convicted in Myanmar for visiting opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi arrived in Bangkok Sunday with U.S. Sen. Jim Webb, R-Va., officials said.

John Yettaw, 53, of Falcon, Mo., flew to Thailand aboard a military plane after Webb secured his release, CNN reported.

Yettaw last week was sentenced to seven years hard labor after he swam across a lake May 3 to Suu Kyi's home in Myanmar, formerly Burma. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Prize winner, said she didn't report Yettaw's actions because she did want to get anyone in trouble.

Suu Kyi was sentenced to three years in prison for the incident and her sentence was commuted to 1 1/2 years of house arrest.

Webb met Saturday with Suu Kyi and Myanmar junta leader Gen. Than Shwe. Webb, the first U.S. official to meet with Than Shwe, said he requested Suu Kyi be released from her house arrest.

The Washington-based U.S. Campaign for Burma, said Webb shouldn't be proud of securing Yettaw's release while Suu Kyi remains under detention.

"This will surely make a negative impression among the people of Burma," Aung Din, the campaign's director said.

Topics: Aung San Suu Kyi, John Yettaw, Sen.Jim Webb, Than Shwe
© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
The Tibetan Moniam Festival in China Super Bowl XLVI ticker tape victory parade The making of the Oscars
The Chicago Auto Show The Most Desirable Women of 2012 Tu Bishvat Migron settlement
Additional Top News Stories
1 of 25
Meryl Streep and Colin Firth attend the "BAFTA" ceremony in London
View Caption
fark
There's vandalizing your school, and then there's doing a million dollars damage to your school
Police say Taylor Burnham, 18, was only wearing cowboy boots as she led police on a Sunday morning...
If you're working as a dog groomer and accidentally chop off a dog's ear, don't try to glue it back,...
After a two-year sting operation, the Feds shut down ... an Amish farm. Another victory in the war...
High school coach retires at 65 after getting arrested nude, "aroused" in car backseat with 17-year-old...
Man arrested for stealing $25k worth of Tide detergent. Witnesses say the suspect appeared quite...