Quote:

---

Myanmar's ruling military junta released democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest Saturday to a throng of supporters who rushed toward her house once the gates were opened.

Many tried to reach out and shake Suu Kyi's hand as she appeared at the fence surrounding her lakeside home in Yangon.

Others handed her flowers, which she put in her hair in trademark fashion. It was a small gesture but significant in that the flowers have become a symbol of defiance in Myanmar.

"I'm very happy to see you all again," she said, promising to address her supporters Sunday at the headquarters of her National League for Democracy party headquarters.

Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace Prize recipient in 1991, has spent 15 of the past 21 years under house arrest for her dogged opposition to authoritarian rule in the nation formerly known as Burma.

Recently, she had little outside human contact except for two maids and visits from her doctor. Sometimes, she spoke to supporters over the wall of her compound.

---