**Lawyers for Burma’s democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi have lodged an appeal with the Supreme Court against her extended house arrest.**US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has also repeated international calls for a speedy release of Ms Suu Kyi.
Mrs Clinton described the military rulers of Burma as being “on the wrong side of history”.
Ms Suu Kyi had her house arrest extended in August beyond the elections planned by the military for next year.
“We submitted the appeal petition to the Supreme Court. Now we must wait to find out whether the court will agree to hear the case,” said Kyi Win, the head of Suu Kyi’s legal team.
“We hope for the best,” Kyi Win said.
Regional worries
Doubts that the generals ruling Burma would make any early move to free their most popular opponent were shared by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
“There is no doubt in my mind that the leadership in Burma is on the wrong side of history”
Hillary Clinton
US Secretary of State
Speaking in Manila before going to Singapore to join regional leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit, she said “I doubt it” when asked if she expected any change in Ms Suu Kyi’s detention.
“This is a long term effort that requires a lot of patience,” Mrs Clinton told a public forum in Manila.
The Apec summit brings together leaders of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean), which includes Burma, with the US President Barack Obama - marking the first time leaders of Burma and the US would be in the same room.
However, it remains unclear if a direct meeting will take place between Mr Obama or Mrs Clinton and the Burmese delegation, which is led by Prime Minister Thein Sein.
Such a meeting would mark the first time in 43 years a US president has met a Burmese leader, and would ramp up engagement with the junta.
The Obama administration has said it favours cautious diplomatic engagement, with sanctions against the regime remaining in place until real progress on democratic change is made.
“There is no doubt in my mind that the leadership in Burma is on the wrong side of history. It is just a question of how long they stay there,” Mrs Clinton said.
Monks’ boycott
Separately, Burmese monks studying in Sri Lanka have publicly denounced a visit there by Burma’s military leader Than Shwe.
A letter from the student monks’ association accused the Burmese generals of actively establishing totalitarianism.
It said the monks would continue to boycott offerings of food (known as alms) from the military, by refusing anything given by Than Shwe on his visit.
The Burmese leader’s trip - the first in more than 40 years - follows a visit to Burma by the Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa in June.