Hope mounts in Myanmar for Suu Kyi’s release

Anticipation is growing in Myanmar that democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is on the verge of being freed from house arrest. Security was stepped up in Yangon where Suu Kyi remains confined in a crumbling lakeside mansion.

Activists hold portaits of Myanmar's detained pro-democracy leader Suu Kyi as they wait for the news of her possible release in Yangon Reuters

Lawyers defending the 65-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner say her current term of house arrest started with her imprisonment on 14 May last year and is due to end on Saturday. A government official in Naypyidaw the Myanmar capital says she'll be released as planned on Saturday

Suu-Kyi's detention was extended by 18 months last year over an incident in which an American swam uninvited to her lakeside home.

Hundreds of supporters have gathered at the offices of her National League for Democracy (NLD) in Yangon.

Some NLD members are planning to donate blood to a local hospital to mark her release.

Her supporters say they expect her to be freed but are still awaiting confirmation from the authorities.

The daughter of Myanmar's independence hero General Aung San, Suu Kyi served as the General Secretary of the NLD which swept victory in elections two decades ago, but was never allowed to take power.

Some observers believe her release could come with restrictions to ensure she cannot threaten the generals or the military-backed government to which they are preparing to hand over power.

Myanmar held its first elections in 20 years last Sunday, amid calls for a boycott from the opposition.