Supporters of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi around the world celebrated her 65th birthday, amid renewed calls for her release from house arrest.
About 400 of her supporters gathered at one of their houses in Burma's main city of Rangoon Saturday. They symbolically freed caged birds and lit a birthday cake at their assembly.
British prime Minister David Cameron Saturday joined other world leaders, including U.S. President Barack Obama and U.N. chief ban Ki-moon, in marking the event with a personal tribute to Aung San Suu Kyi.
In a letter released by his office Saturday, Mr. Cameron criticized what he called the injustice that the military regime has inflicted on Burma and its people.
He praised Aung San Suu Kyi for standing firm at enormous personal cost for the principles of liberty and justice.
On Friday, U.S. President Barack Obama and British Foreign Secretary William Hague called on Burma's military rulers to free the Nobel Laureate, who has been detained for close to 15 of the past 20 years.
Hague said her continued detention, along with about 2,000 other political prisoners in Burma, violates international human rights law.
Her supporters around the world have staged rallies demanding her release.
Aung San Suu Kyi is currently under a strict house arrest. Her party, the National League for Democracy, won the last election held in Burma in 1990. But the military leaders refused to hand over power. A new electoral law bans her from running in Burma's next election, expected later this year.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and AFP.
