Yangon (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest. A court in Yangon today upheld the conviction first passed on 11 August, when the opposition leader was sentenced to 18 months for hosting 54 year-old American citizen John Yettaw at her home, violating the terms of her house arrest.  

Nyan Win, lawyer for the 64 year old Nobel Peace Laureate, says that "the appeal was dismissed" and announced they would appeal "to the Supreme Court". A Burmese official, on condition of anonymity, confirmed the decision of the court, but did not add further details. Local sources report a strengthening of security measures, with riot units deployed around the building for the duration of the hearing.  

In recent days, Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent 14 of the last 20 years under house arrest, wrote a personal letter to the chief Than Shwe, leader of the military dictatorship announcing her willingness to cooperate in seeking the removal of sanctions against Myanmar, imposed by the international community. The United States has also opened negotiations with the military junta in an attempt to strengthen the process of democratization in the country.  

Analysts and international observers have said that the conviction will exclude the Nobel Peace Laureate from the general elections scheduled for 2010. AsiaNews sources in Myanmar confirm that "if she were freed" the dictatorship would loose power, "because the people are close to her: the government has no interest in releasing her."