**The Supreme Court in Burma has rejected an appeal by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi against an extension of her detention under house arrest.**Ms Suu Kyi has spent most of the past 20 years in some form of detention, despite her party overwhelmingly winning Burma’s last general election.
The Burmese military government ignored those results but are planning their own elections for later in 2010.
Aung San Suu Kyi has already been disqualified from standing in these.
Her extended detention has been seen by some analysts as a further guarantee for the military that she will not be able to campaign for others in the elections either.
She was due to have been released in May 2009 but was charged with breaching the terms of her house arrest, because of a visit by an American man who swam across a lake to her house earlier this month.
Her house arrest was lengthened in August after being convicted over the bizarre incident.
A lower court rejected an initial appeal in October, and the latest rejection was expected.
The court also rejected an appeal by two women who look after Ms Suu Kyi and her house, who been imprisoned over the same incident.
A LIFE IN DETENTION
- 1988: Military junta comes to power after crushing pro-democracy uprising
- 1989: Martial law declared; opposition NLD leader Aung San Suu Kyi put under house arrest
- 1990: NLD wins elections; result rejected by the ruling junta
- 1995: Suu Kyi released from house arrest, but movements restricted
- Sept 2000: Put under house arrest again when she tried to defy travel restrictions
- May 2002: Released unconditionally
- May 2003: Detained after clash between NLD and government forces
- Sept 2003: Allowed home after operation, but under effective house arrest. In the years since, the orders for her detention periodically renewed
Ms Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party won landslide elections rejected by the military in 1990, and she was awarded the Nobel peace prize soon after.
Analysts say the military junta still fears Aung San Suu Kyi’s influence over Burmese people.
The United States, European Union and some other countries have imposed further sanctions on the Burmese regime for its treatment of Ms Suu Kyi and an estimated 2,000 other political prisoners.
Many critics have said the military’s planned elections will be a farce when the opposition is not allowed to field its own candidates.
At the same time, the US has spoken of a need to find new ways to reach Burma’s rulers, as sanctions have not brought about any change in approach from the Burmese military government.
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