Burma's Suu Kyi "to face trial"

Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is to face trial for breaching the conditions of her detention under house arrest, her lawyer has said. Suu Kyi will stand trial on May 18, the lawyer, Hla Myo Myint, said. Burma's Suu Kyi "to face trial" She was taken to a prison from her home in Rangoon, where she has spent most of the past 19 years, to hear the charges. A U.S. man whose apparently uninvited visit to her home led to the charges, will also be tried on immigration and security offences, the lawyer added. The American man, John Yettaw, was arrested after swimming across a lake to her house and staying there secretly for two days. The charges are yet to be confirmed by the government. But it looks as though this is a pretext to keep her detained until elections due in 2010 which the generals think will give them some legitimacy, says the BBC . Another of her lawyers said they would contest the charge. "The charge is going to be violating the conditions of her house arrest and what her lawyer is going to argue is that of course that's ridiculous because, yes under the terms of her arrest she cannot invite people to visit her but she of course did not invite this person to visit her," Jared Genser told the BBC. "If somebody shows up at her door step in violation of Burmese law she can not be held responsible for it." Security stepped up A spokesman for her National League for Democracy (NLD), Nyan Win said he had been informed of the plan to try Suu Kyi and two women who live with her by her lawyer, who visited Suu Kyi in her off-limits house on Wednesday. She was driven in a police convoy with the two aides from her house to the prison, eyewitnesses said. Reports say security has been stepped up at the Insein jail, already a top security prison where a number of leading dissidents are incarcerated. The Nobel Peace laureate has been under house arrest for much of the past 19 years. The latest detention began in May 2003, after clashes between opposition activists and supporters of Burma's (Myanmar) military government. The house arrest was extended last year - a move which analysts say is illegal even under the junta's own legal limits. It is now due to expire at the end of May. Earlier this month, the military government rejected an appeal for the 63-year-old to be freed, despite NLD claims that she was suffering from low blood pressure and dehydration. Suu Kyi was detained after the NLD's victory in a general election in 1990. Burma's junta refused to allow the party to assume power.

Burma's Suu Kyi "to face trial"

She was taken to a prison from her home in Rangoon, where she has spent most of the past 19 years, to hear the charges.

A U.S. man whose apparently uninvited visit to her home led to the charges, will also be tried on immigration and security offences, the lawyer added.

The American man, John Yettaw, was arrested after swimming across a lake to her house and staying there secretly for two days.

The charges are yet to be confirmed by the government.

But it looks as though this is a pretext to keep her detained until elections due in 2010 which the generals think will give them some legitimacy, says the BBC .

Another of her lawyers said they would contest the charge.

"The charge is going to be violating the conditions of her house arrest and what her lawyer is going to argue is that of course that's ridiculous because, yes under the terms of her arrest she cannot invite people to visit her but she of course did not invite this person to visit her," Jared Genser told the BBC.

"If somebody shows up at her door step in violation of Burmese law she can not be held responsible for it."

Security stepped up

A spokesman for her National League for Democracy (NLD), Nyan Win said he had been informed of the plan to try Suu Kyi and two women who live with her by her lawyer, who visited Suu Kyi in her off-limits house on Wednesday.

She was driven in a police convoy with the two aides from her house to the prison, eyewitnesses said.

Reports say security has been stepped up at the Insein jail, already a top security prison where a number of leading dissidents are incarcerated.

The Nobel Peace laureate has been under house arrest for much of the past 19 years.

The latest detention began in May 2003, after clashes between opposition activists and supporters of Burma's (Myanmar) military government.

The house arrest was extended last year - a move which analysts say is illegal even under the junta's own legal limits.

It is now due to expire at the end of May.

Earlier this month, the military government rejected an appeal for the 63-year-old to be freed, despite NLD claims that she was suffering from low blood pressure and dehydration.

Suu Kyi was detained after the NLD's victory in a general election in 1990. Burma's junta refused to allow the party to assume power.