American who visited Suu Kyi to be freed from Myanmar

A handout picture taken on May 13, 2009, provided by Myanma News Agency shows U.S. citizen John Yettaw (C) meeting Colin P. Furst, second secretary (consul) of the U.S. embassy at a police station in Yangon.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The American man who swam across a lake to visit Myanmar's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will be released on Sunday, according to a statement issued on Saturday by U.S. Senator Jim Webb.

American John Yettaw had been sentenced to seven years hard labor by Myanmar's military government.

Suu Kyi was found guilty by a Myanmar court last week of violating a security law after Yettaw swam uninvited across a lake to her home in May. Yettaw was sentenced to prison in a parallel trial on three charges, including immigration offenses.

"I am grateful to the Myanmar government for honoring these requests," said Webb who is visiting Myanmar and sought Yettaw's release.

"It is my hope that we can take advantage of these gestures as a way to begin laying a foundation of goodwill and confidence-building in the future."

On Saturday, Webb became the first U.S. official to meet Myanmar's military leader Than Shwe.

Yettaw will be officially deported from Myanmar on Sunday, Webb's office said.

"Senator Webb will bring him out of the country on a military aircraft that is returning to Bangkok on Sunday afternoon," the statement said.