The Nobel Committee has urged Burma to release detained opposition activist Aung San Suu Kyi, as she prepares to spend her 60th birthday Sunday under house arrest at her Rangoon home.
In a statement today-Friday, the Nobel Committee, which awarded Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi the Nobel Peace Peace in 1991, called for her immediate release. She has been in and out of detention for much of the past 16 years -- this time since May of 2003.
Malaysia, Britain, the United States and the United Nations --- as well as human rights activists worldwide --- have echoed similar calls for her release.
To mark her 60th birthday, protests are planned at several Burmese embassies worldwide -- including in the United States, London, Tokyo, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul and Pretoria.
Information for this report is provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.