NZealand welcomes release of Suu Kyi

WELLINGTON: New Zealand on Sunday welcomed the release of Myanmar's democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi from years of house arrest saying her freedom was long overdue.

"We trust that she will now be free from restrictions on movement or association," Foreign Minister Murray McCully said in a statement.

"New Zealand and the rest of the international community will be watching her situation closely in the weeks ahead."

The 65-year-old dissident and Nobel Peace Prize winner walked free Saturday after seven years of house arrest with a senior official in the military government saying there were no strings attached.

"Her release from years of detention is long overdue," McCully said.

"Aung San Suu Kyi has long been a beacon of hope for the Burmese (Myanmar) people and a focal point for their desire for a democratic nation."