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Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi on trial Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi on trial
(21 minutes later)
Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has gone on trial related to a visit to her home by an American, who swam across a lake to reach it. Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has gone on trial in Rangoon.
The charges against Ms Suu Kyi, who has spent 13 of the past 19 years under house arrest, have been widely condemned as baseless. She is charged with breaching the terms of her house arrest, because of a visit by an American man who swam across a lake to her house earlier this month.
If found guilty, she faces a prison sentence of three to five years. A lawyer for Ms Suu Kyi says she will plead not guilty as the American had not been invited.
She could also be banned from contesting first polls in 20 years, which the junta plans to hold in 2010. The charges have been widely condemned as baseless, but a guilty verdict would mean she was in jail during the run-up to elections planned next year.
Ms Suu Kyi has already spent 13 of the past 19 years in jail or detained in her home, and she faces a further three to five years if found guilty of these latest charges.
'Pretext''Pretext'
This trial is taking place in such haste and secrecy, and on such bizarre charges, that it has already been dismissed as a sham by many governments around the world. Earlier this month an American well-wisher arrived on Aung San Suu Kyi's back lawn in Rangoon, almost certainly uninvited, after swimming across a lake.
Profile: Aung San Suu Kyi 'intruder' Inside Burma's Insein prisonProfile: Aung San Suu Kyi 'intruder' Inside Burma's Insein prison
Ms Suu Kyi is being tried because earlier this month an American well-wisher arrived, uninvited, on her back lawn in Rangoon after swimming across a lake. Her lawyer says she asked the man to leave, but he pleaded exhaustion and was allowed to stay the night.
Her lawyer says she will plead not guilty to charges of violating the terms of her house arrest. He says she asked the man to leave, but he pleaded exhaustion and was allowed to stay the night. Miss Suu Kyi's home is one of the most closely guarded locations in Rangoon, and her supporters believe the military authorities must have allowed the man to reach it, as he tried the same stunt unsuccessfully late last year.
In any case her home is one of the most closely guarded locations in Rangoon. Ms Suu Kyi's supporters believe the military authorities must have allowed the man to reach it, as he tried the same stunt last November. The misguided exploits of an apparently well-intentioned individual have now given the military government a pretext to keep her locked up, according to the BBC's South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head.
Like previous political trials held behind prison walls, there is no prospect of this one meeting any international standards for fairness. Her legal team will have little opportunity to put up a defence. This trial is taking place in such haste and secrecy, and on such bizarre charges, that it has already been dismissed as a sham by many governments around the world, our correspondent says.
The misguided exploit of an apparently well-intentioned individual has now given the military government a pretext to keep Burma's (Myanmar) most popular politician locked up, while it prepares for an election which looks set to leave the generals running the country for many years to come. Like previous political trials held behind prison walls, there is no prospect of this one meeting any international standards for fairness, he says.