Burmese police have visited the home of detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon, just hours after United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan made an appeal for her release.
Witnesses tell VOA that police went to her lakeside residence late Friday and stayed for about 10 minutes. No other details of the visit or comments from the police are available.
The pro-democracy figure's latest term of house arrest expires on Saturday. Six months ago, Rangoon police made a similar visit to the residence to inform her that her sentence had been extended.
Earlier today, Mr. Annan called on Burmese leader General Than Shwe to "do the right thing." The U.N. leader said Aung San Suu Kyi's release is necessary to facilitate the democratic progress in Burma.
Aung San Suu Kyi, leader of the opposition National League for Democracy, has been in detention for about 10 of the past 16 years.
Malaysia's Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, whose country chairs the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, said the opposition leader poses no threat to her country's stability, and that it is in Burma's best interest to release her.
Her pro-democracy party won popular elections in 1990, but was not allowed by the military to assume power. Since then, the military government has promised democratic reforms, but there have been few signs of progress.
Information for this report is provided by AP and AFP.
