WASHINGTON - US President George W. Bush is criticizing Myanmar's decision to prolong the detention of opposition leader and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
Bush also is urging Myanmar's ruling junta to release all political prisoners and to discuss a democratic transition with Suu Kyi.
The leader of the National League for Democracy has been in detention continuously since May 2003, most of the time under house arrest.
Myanmar officials personally informed Suu Kyi on Tuesday that her detention would be extended by one year.
Bush said in a statement that he was "deeply troubled" by the decision.
He said the United States would continue to provide help for the victims of the country's recent cyclone, despite the government's move. - AP