Amnesty demands Suu Kyi's release

The Opposition leader has spent more than 10 of the past 17 years under house arrest.

Human rights watchdog Amnesty International demanded military-run Myanmar free democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, who celebrated her 61st birthday on Monday under house arrest.

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The leader of Myanmar's opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) has spent more than 10 of the past 17 years under house arrest at her lakeside residence in central Yangon.

Despite an international clamor for her freedom, the military government extended her house arrest for another year.

Amnesty International Thailand urged the junta to "keep the promises it has made to the global community to release Suu Kyi and all other political prisoners, with a view to restoring them their full rights as Burmese citizens."

The United Nations has estimated there are some 1,100 political prisoners in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.

The NLD has said it would hold a ceremony for the Nobel peace prize laureate's birthday at its Yangon headquarters, releasing balloons and doves, while supporters around the world were also planning events to mark the day.

The NLD won 1990 elections by a landslide but the regime ignored the result and clung to power.