Security was strengthened around Insein Prison in Rangoon on Wednesday morning, and shopkeepers nearby have been ordered to close on Friday, the day the verdict is scheduled in the trial of detained Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Security Increased for Suu Kyi Verdict

Two police battalions have joined security forces stationed around the prison in preparation for a possible crackdown on protests, according to the sources in Rangoon, who said the authorities were worried about possible protests.Dozens of Suu Kyi’s supporters have regularly gathered outside Insein Prison on each day of the trial.
Prominent opposition leader Win Tin, an executive of the opposition National League for Democracy, has joined the gatherings.

On Tuesday, Win Tin said he went outside Insein Prison and stayed for about 40 minutes to show his support for his colleague, Suu Kyi.

The final arguments for Suu Kyi’s trial ended on Tuesday, and the verdict is to be announced on Friday.

Diplomats said they heard Suu Kyi comment, “I’m afraid the verdict will be painfully obvious,” in court, according to an Associated Press report.

After Tuesday’s final session, Suu Kyi told her lawyer, Nyan Win, that the proceedings would show “whether or not the rule of law exists in the country.”

Suu Kyi could be sentenced up to five years in prison if convicted. She is charged with breaking the terms of her house arrest.

Her trial began on May 18 and has been interrupted by several adjournments.

Suu Kyi has spent nearly 14 of the past 20 years under house arrest. Her latest term of detention began in May 2003.

Irrawaddy org.