Myanmar's democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi turns 64 in prison

It would be the 14th birthday spent in detention for Myanmar's Aung San Suu Kyi who turned sixty-four today.

The Nobel peace prize laureate has spent 13 of the past 19 years in detention for opposing the Burmese military regime and demanding a democratic rule.

A series of protests was held across the globe to mark Suu Kyi's birthday, with several celebrities, including Paul McCartney, Yoko Ono, David Beckham and George Clooney, lending messages of support.

Suu Kyi, who was to be freed on May 27 following six years of her house arrest, with fresh charges might face a penalty of another five years of imprisonment. The 64-year-old is on trial for violating her house arrest after an American man swam to her lakeside residence early May.

A leading Christian advocacy group in the country had last month appealed to the Indian government to step in efforts to free Suu Kyi.

"As the world's largest democratic country, India should stand in support of democracy in Burma. Additionally India is in a position to use its economic leverage and geographical location to push hard for the freedom of Ms Suu Kyi," Global Council of Indian Christians said.

The Bangalore-based council said the onus was on the international community and Indian government to have helped the democracy icon celebrate her birthday "as a free citizen of Burma".

The United States on Thursday in a birthday greeting hailed Suu Kyi as someone who has "dedicated her life to achieving democratic change and promoting progress in Burma."

"We, along with all of her admirers in Burma and abroad, look forward to the day when she will be able to celebrate her birthday in freedom," the State Department statement said

Early this week, a global petition was sent to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, signed by more than 670,000 people from 220 countries. It called for freeing of all of Myanmar's political prisoners, especially Suu Kyi.