Myanmar's pro-democracy movement kept up a vigil today waiting for news of their leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who is expected to be freed from 19 months of house arrest within days.
Political sources in military-ruled Myanmar said the 56-year-old Suu Kyi, winner of the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize, was likely to be released today or tomorrow.
Senior leaders of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) say she told them she was confident of being freed soon following secret meetings with the ruling junta.
But the military has made no comment on the expected release. On Yangon's University Avenue, where Suu Kyi has been confined to her home since September 2000, barricades and a "No Entry" sign were still in place today.
She was confined to her house from 1989 to 1995, and her release then was marked by jubilant scenes as crowds thronged the street outside her residence.
Diplomats say the junta wants to avoid this happening again, and has been trying to reach agreement with Suu Kyi that she will keep a low profile after her release. They said this may be one of the hitches that has delayed her being freed.