American intruder leads to charges against Burma's Suu Kyi

Detained Burma opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will be put on trial Thursday in connection with the intrusion of an American who sneaked uninvited into her compound, a spokesman for her party said.

Nyan Win said he was informed of the plan to try Suu Kyi and two women Khin Khin Win, 65 and her daughter Win Ma Ma, 41 who have lived with her at her Rangoon residence since she was last detained in 2003.

Suu Kyi's lawyer Kyi Win said the three will be taken early Thursday morning to Rangoon's Insein Prison, but he was not told what charges they faced.

An American man, John William Yettaw, was arrested last week for allegedly swimming a lake to secretly enter Suu Kyi's home and stay there for two days.

It was possible that Suu Kyi may not immediately be returned to her house as arrangements have been made to take care of it in the absence of the women, who are the only ones who live there under the conditions of her house arrest, said Nyan Win.

When a person is put on trial, he or she is normally held in a police lockup for as many as 14 days, but in special cases the defendant is held at Insein Prison, which is in a northern part of the country's biggest city.

Last week's intrusion by Yettaw had raised fears that the Nobel Peace laureate may have been ensnared in activities that could put her in further legal trouble.

One of many strict rules the junta imposes on citizens is that they must notify local officials about any overnight visitor who is not a family member. The law also states that foreigners are not allowed to spend the night at a local's home.

Some members of Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, have been jailed for about two weeks for violating that law.

Suu Kyi has already spent more than 13 of the last 19 years including the past six in detention without trial for her nonviolent promotion of democracy, despite international pressure for her release.