Suu Kyi stocks up on le Carre, French history books as part of her prison reading list

Yangon (Myanmar), July 31 (ANI): Resigned to the prospect of spending five years in a Burmese jail cell, pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi is stocking up on books, including a biography of Winston Churchill, novels by John le Carré, books on French history and Burmese-language works on Buddhism, The Guardian reports.

"She has said that if she has to stay in prison for a long time, she has only one thing to do, and that is reading," her lawyer, Nyan Win, said.

He added, however, that he hoped she would be released "according to the law".

Win's statement came as a Burmese court hearing the case of jailed opposition leader postponed its verdict until August 11.

According to a Voice of America report, foreign diplomats attending the hearing said the presiding judge postponed issuing the verdict in order to further review the case.

Authorities increased security around Rangoon's notorious Insein prison Friday, when the verdict was to be handed down.

Suu Kyi has been on trial for violating the terms of her house arrest in May. She faces five years in prison for allowing an American intruder to stay at her house overnight after he swam across a lake to reach it. The U.S. intruder, John Yettaw, is also on trial.

The United States on Thursday called for an immediate and unconditional release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other 2,100 political prisoners. An official for the U.S. Embassy was scheduled to be in the courtroom when the verdict was announced.

Nyan Win said Suu Kyi, 64, was "physically and mentally fine, and very alert", had access to medicine, but resigned for the worst.

She faces up to five years in prison if found guilty of harbouring Yettaw.

Observers believe that, at the least, the court will place her under house arrest, where she has already spent 14 of the past 20 years.

The Nobel peace laureate's trial has drawn widespread condemnation since it opened on May 18, but pressure on the ruling generals to drop the case has failed. (ANI)