The United States says extending the house arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi for another six months is another step in the "wrong direction" for Burma's military rulers. Her previous house arrest sentence was to have expired this month.
A State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said late Monday that the United States "deplores" the extension and that to move toward democracy, Burma should release all political prisoners and engage in dialogue with the country's opposition.
United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan says he is deeply disappointed in the decision of Burma's military rulers to extend the house arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi for another six months.
The statement by Mr. Annan says the continued detention is not in the interest of Burma's national reconciliation and democratization.
In an interview with VOA's Burmese Service, Irish Nobel laureate Mairead Corrigan Maguire said, "Very big disappointment that Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest has been extended. This is quite unacceptable that a Nobel Peace Laureate be held under house arrest and this has been going on now for such a long long time and we really do demand of the Burmese government to restore the civil rights of Aung San Suu Kyi and to move forward in democrcacy because we cannot accept that a member of the world community government behave in such a terrible fashion toward not only its own citizen but particularly someone who has given her life working for non violence and democracy."
Information for this report is provided by AP.
