Yangon: A Myanmar court on Friday rejected an
appeal by pro-democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi against her
extended house arrest, just days after the US re-engaged with
the country's ruling junta.
Judges at a divisional court in Yangon upheld the Nobel
Laureate's conviction, her lawyer said, over an incident in
which an American man swam uninvited to her home, earning her
an extra 18 months in detention.
"The appeal was rejected but we will take it to the high
court," said Suu Kyi's lawyer and the spokesman for her
National League for Democracy (NLD) party, Nyan Win, after the
hearing.
Asked whether he was disappointed, the lawyer said Suu
Kyi might have a better chance at Myanmar's high court.
He said the defence team was seeking permission from the
authorities to visit the frail 64-year-old as soon as
possible, to inform her of the ruling and discuss a further
appeal, which must be filed within the next 60 days.
Suu Kyi -- who has spent much of the last 20 years in
detention -- was not present for the verdict, which was
delivered amid tight security with uniformed and plain-clothes
policemen patrolling the area.
Her extended house arrest will keep her off the scene for
elections promised by the regime for 2010, adding to
widespread criticism that the polls are a sham designed to
legitimise the junta's grip on power.
Bureau Report
First Published: Friday, October 02, 2009, 23:26