Burma's military junta is ignoring calls for political reform, extending the detention of a top pro-democracy leader.
Military officials sentenced Tin Oo to another year of house arrest Friday. The 82-year-old vice chairman of the National League for Democracy (NLD) is second-in-command to opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Both leaders have been in prison or under house arrest since 2003.
Earlier this week, the NLD launched a petition drive calling on Burma's military leaders to release the country's more than 2,000 political prisoners.
Aung San Suu Kyi says the government must also recognize the 1990 election, which her party won in a landslide, for talks to proceed.
United Nation officials and other countries have called on Burma's military to move ahead with parliamentary elections set for next year.
The U.N. also says it is sending an special envoy to Burma Saturday to see if the country is improving its record on human rights.
The U.N. says the envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana will meet with Burmese officials, leaders of the country's political parties and "prisoners of conscience."
This is a follow-up to a visit the envoy made to Burma last year.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.
