The Burmese junta has lifted some of the movement and communication restrictions on the democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi and eight colleagues who have been padlocked in their homes for the past two weeks.
A government statement said the nine leaders of the National League for Democracy (NLD) were no longer required to stay at their residences and could "resume their daily activities as usual".
The decision was preceded by a rare meeting between the NLD's chairman, Aung Shwe, and Lieut Gen Khin Nyunt, head of military intelligence and No 3 in the state peace and development council.
The NLD immediately tested the junta's sincerity by reopening its headquarters, which the government raided and shut on September 1st, when the restrictions were imposed. The authorities did not attempt to block them, but the party has yet to reoccupy the building.
The NLD's leaders will try to travel outside the capital, Rangoon, on party work today, repeating the act which prompted the junta to stop Ms Suu Kyi, the NLD's vice-chairman, Mr Tin Oo, and 12 young party members from driving to Kungyangone on August 24th. After a nine-day standoff on a country road, the army forcibly returned them to their homes, put them under house arrest and cut off their telephones.
Foreign diplomats and party colleagues rushed to Ms Suu Kyi's house as soon as the lifting of the curbs was announced. There had been no word from her or about her state of health since the restrictions were imposed.
"She is in good health and glad to be visited, but she has yet to test whether she is really free to leave her house and move without restrictions," a Western diplomat said.
Other visitors said she was particularly angry about the raid on the party's headquarters. One said she was afraid that the seized documents would be used to ban the party, which won the 1990 general election but has never been allowed to form a government.
A member of the party's central executive, U Lwin, said he thought the restrictions had been lifted partly because of international pressure. Britain and the US accused the regime of violating Ms Suu Kyi's human rights and several world leaders condemned the action at the UN millennium summit earlier this month.
The government's statement said that the controls were imposed as part of an investigation into the NLD's suspected links with terrorists. The generals called Ms Suu Kyi a traitor who collaborated with the West to destabilise Burma.
Lieut Gen Nyunt was quoted as saying yesterday that his meeting with the NLD chairman, Mr Shwe, was "fruitful", but NLD sources said Mr Shwe was merely told that the restrictions on the party's leaders were being lifted.