Bangkok: An American man imprisoned in
Myanmar for sneaking into the Opposition leader`s compound but
released with the help of a visiting US Senator has headed
home on a flight after two days of health checks in Thailand.
John Yettaw, 53, of Falcon, Missouri, headed home
on Tuesday after he had been detained in Myanmar for three
months after he swam across a lake and made an unauthorised
visit to the home of detained democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi.
He was sentenced last week to seven years in prison,
but US Senator Jim Webb met the country`s military leaders and
won his early release on Sunday. Yettaw, who is in poor
health, flew to Thailand later Sunday and spent two days
undergoing tests in Bangkok hospitals.
Using a wheelchair and wearing a face mask, Yettaw
said "Love you" to journalists before heading onto a flight in
Bangkok yesterday morning. He made no other comments.
He was ticketed through to Springfield, Missouri,
according to airline officials who spoke on condition of
anonymity.
Myanmar has said that Yettaw was freed on humanitarian
grounds because of his health. He reportedly suffers from
diabetes, epilepsy and asthma and was hospitalised for a week
during his trial after suffering seizures.
Bureau Report
