West slams junta on Suu Kyi charges

Yangon: Western critics slammed Myanmar's military rulers for pressing "trumped-up" new charges against detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, but the move drew only mild rebuke from Asian neighbours.

The United States and Britain - the loudest critics of the generals who have ruled the former Burma since 1962 - condemned the Nobel Peace laureate's forthcoming trial on charges she broke the terms of her house arrest after an American intruder stayed in her home.

Human rights groups called on Myanmar's neighbours China and India - which have strong economic ties to the resource-rich country - and the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean) to demand Suu Kyi's immediate release.

"Burma's military authorities have taken advantage of an intruder's bizarre stunt to throw Aung San Suu Kyi into one of Burma's most notorious and squalid jails on trumped-up charges," said Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director of Human Rights Watch.

The trial is due to start on Monday. The charges laid against Suu Kyi on Thursday stem from an incident involving US citizen John William Yettaw, who is alleged to have swum across Inya Lake and spent two days in her house earlier this month.

There was no mention in Myanmar's tightly controlled press on Friday of the charges against Suu Kyi.