Verdict on Suu Kyi’s trial to be delivered on Friday

The court,operating from Yangon’s Insein prison,made the announcement after hearing final comments by lawyers for the 64-year-old Suu Kyi,her two female aides and US national John Yettaw,in response to closing statements delivered by prosecutors yesterday.

Suu Kyi has been on trial on charges of violating the terms of her house arrest after Yettaw,an uninvited American intruder,swam to her lakeside home in Yangon on May 3 and stayed there for two days.

She faces a maximum five-year jail term if found guilty.

At today’s final hearing of the trial that started on May 18,Suu Kyi’s defence lawyers submitted their concluding responses to arguments made by the prosecution,an official source said.

About half of the replies were reasoned by Suu Kyi herself,Kyodo news agency quoted Nyan Win,who is also the spokesman for her National League for Democracy,as saying.

He said the defence will proceed as far as the legal system allows,apparently hinting they will appeal to higher courts. (LD SUUKYI 2 LAST Asked about his opinion on the verdict,Nyan Win said,“I don’t want to guess.” Diplomats from Japan,Singapore,Thailand and United States were allowed to attend today’s session.

Suu Kyi,who has been under house arrest for 13 of the past 19 years,greeted and thanked the diplomats for their support when she saw them,the report said.

The trial of Suu Kyi,a Nobel laureate and leader of the National League for Democracy,has aroused widespread international concern,with world leaders calling on the junta to release her and other political prisoners.

Suu Kyi was bestowed London-based Amnesty International’s highest award yesterday for her defence of human rights.

At a concert yesterday in Dublin,Ireland,U2’s Bono publicly announced the award,Amnesty’s Ambassador of Conscience Award,before 80,000 cheering fans. The rights group said it hopes its highest honour would help deter Myanmar’s junta from imposing any harsh new punishments on her.

Critics see the junta’s decision to try Suu Kyi as an attempt to keep her locked up ahead of a general election planned for next year.