YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - Supporters of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi gathered near her home and at her party's headquarters today, hoping to see the Nobel Peace Prize laureate taste freedom after seven years of detention by Myanmar's ruling generals.
Scores of people holding a vigil were disappointed that she was not given an early release Friday night, but colleagues said an order to set her free had already been signed by Myanmar's junta. The period of her latest detention expires Saturday.
Jailed or under house arrest for more than 15 of the last 21 years, Suu Kyi has become a symbol for a struggle to rid the Southeast Asian country of decades of military rule.
Adding to the expectant atmosphere was a sharply stepped-up security presence in Yangon, with truckloads of riot police cruising the streets and parked at major junctions - a familiar sight to city residents during times of political tension.