Myanmar's Suu Kyi to hear appeal result in October

Judges will announce on October 2 whether they will uphold the pro-democracy icon's conviction over an incident in which an American man swam to her house, earning her an extra 18 months detention.

The 64-year-old Nobel Peace laureate was denied permission to attend court on Friday as government and defence lawyers gave their final arguments in the appeal against the internationally condemned verdict.

"We are expecting her unconditional release," Suu Kyi's lawyer Nyan Win said after the hearing at Yangon divisional court, confirming that it would hand down its judgment on October 2 at 10am (0430 GMT).

Myanmar's iron-fisted generals have kept the frail Suu Kyi locked up for 14 of the past 20 years. Her National League for Democracy (NLD) won the country's last elections in 1990 but the regime refused to acknowledge the result.

Her extended house arrest now keeps her off the scene for elections promised by the regime some time in 2010, adding to widespread criticism that the polls are a sham designed to legitimise the junta's grip on power.