AUNG SAN SUUN Kyi has been released by military authorities in Burma, according to the BBC.

Crowds of supporters who had been camping outside her home in Rangoon cheered as barricades were removed and Suu Kyi appeared to speak to them in a traditional lilac dress.

The Pro-democracy campaigner and Nobel Prize Winner has been detained under house arrest for 15 of the past 21 years.

Suu Kyi was due to be released last year, however an incident in which an American man swam across the river to her house – claiming he was on a mission to save her – prompted the authorities to extend her detention.

In 1990, Suu Kyi political party the National League for Democracy won the majority vote in the Burma’s general election. However, military refused to hand over power, prompting an international outcry.

Last week, Burma held its first general election in 20 years. The party which won was backed by the military government and the result has been widely condemned.