Myanmar frees opposition leaders

The release of two senior members of Myanmar's opposition party have sparked hopes about the imminent release of National League for Democracy leader Aug San Suu Kyi, say reports. 

The party's  chairman and deputy chairman, Aung Shwe and U Lwin, were in custody for almost a year, and with their release, Suu Kyi and party vice-president Tin Oo remain the two senior leaders still incarcerated in the capital Yangon. 

The two released leaders have been officially invited by the military regime to join a  national convention May 17 to draft a new constitution, part of the junta's seven-step plans to eventually restore democracy. 

The NLD, however says it will decide on the invitation only after Suu Kyi's release. 

But despite intense international pressure and UN Secretary General Kofi Annan's proclamation that the convention will be credible only if it includes the NLD, the junta has remained non-commital on Suu Kyi's release so far.