Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi turned 60 years-old under house arrest on Sunday, as supporters around the world marked the occasion with fresh calls for her release. Members of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy gathered outside her home in Rangoon, where she has been held since May 2003. She has spent almost 10 of the past 16 years in confinement. Across Asia, protesters rallied to demand her release and praise her commitment to democracy. Other rallies are planned in Southern Africa, Europe, and the United States. World leaders, including President Bush and United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan made fresh appeals to Burma's ruling junta to immediately release Aung San Suu Kyi. The democracy activist was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991-- a year after she won a landslide victory in nationwide elections. The government in Rangoon refused to cede power.
