Philippines foreign minister Blas Ople says his country will continue to press the Burmese military government to free opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi from house arrest.
Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and Burma's pro-democracy leader, has been under house arrest since September. Before that, she was confined at an undisclosed location following a clash between her supporters and pro-government militants.
In a statement Thursday, the Philippine foreign minister said his government continues to call for the early release of Aung San Suu Kyi and the start of democratic reforms in Burma.
Mr. Ople also welcomed a recent pledge by China to break the deadlock between Burma's military regime and pro-democracy forces.
Information for this report is provided by AP.