Myanmar junta to release Suu Kyi?

Rangoon : Nobel Peace laureate and pro-democracy Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi is likely to be released on Saturday when the latest 18-month house arrest term the leader is serving ends.

Reports on Friday said that the leader, who has spent 15 of the last 21 years under detention, could be released Saturday morning or even late on Friday.

Junta leader Than Shwe has reportedly signed the papers freeing Suu Kyi and the release papers are likely to be delivered at the leader?s residence soon.

Security deployment has also reportedly been strengthened near her residence as supporters of Suu Kyi?s National League for Democracy (NLD) started gathering outside her house.

However, there is no formal confirmation from either the jailed leader?s counsels or the government side on the matter.

The NLD, under Suu Kyi, had won a landslide victory in 1990 elections in the country, but the junta had ignored the results.

She has been repeatedly detained and placed under house arrest.

Her latest period of house arrest was extended for 18 months after a US tourist swam unannounced across a lake to the rear of property on what he described as a mission to “save” her.

General elections were held in the country last Sunday (November 7) after the 1990 polls and the junta-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) won majority.

But the elections have been dismissed by international observers as mere hogwash.