Myanmar court allows Suu Kyi defence to call 1 witness

A court in Myanmar hasadmittedone of three witnesses initiallybarred from testifying in the trial of democracy activist and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Lawyers for Suu Kyi said they would appeal the Tuesday ruling by Yangon's Divisional Courtin an effort to have all three witnesses testify.

"We will go to a higher court for the other two witnesses," said Nyan Win, Suu Kyi's lawyer.

The Divisional Court's ruling to allow lawyer Khin Moe Moe to testify partially overturns adecision by a lower court presiding over Suu Kyi's trial to ban three witnesses called by the defence.

14 prosecution witnesses

All three witnesses are from Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party. So far, judges have allowed the defence to call one witness, while the prosecution has called 14.

Suu Kyi is on trial for charges she breached the terms of her house arrest after a U.S. citizen, John William Yettaw, entered the compound in which she is confined on May 4.

According to her restriction order, she is prohibited from having contact with embassies and political parties, and is barred from communicating with the outside world.

The offence is punishable by up to five years imprisonment.

The Nobel laureate has spent 13 of the last 19 years in detention without trial for her non-violent promotion of democracy in Burma, also known as Myanmar. Her National League for Democracy won a national election in 1990, but the ruling military junta refused to relinquish power.