The junta on Friday extended the house arrest of the 61-year-old Nobel peace laureate for another year, ignoring global appeals for the freedom of the woman who has been detained for most of the past 17 years.

The extension was widely expected, with observers saying the regime views the Nobel peace prize-winner's immense popularity as a threat to its rule.

The junta's decision drew international condemnation, but analysts said silence from China and Russia has emboldened Myanmar.

"Thanks to support from China and Russia, the military regime can ignore international pressure and keep Aung San Suu Kyi under detention," said Aung Naing Oo, a Myanmese analyst based in neighboring Thailand.

"Geopolitical conditions are favourable to the regime," he said.

China, Myanmar's staunchest ally and a main trading partner, has always refused to become involved in the "internal affairs" of the Southeast Asian nation, formerly known as Burma.

In January, China and Russia, both permanent members of the powerful UN Security Council, vetoed a UN draft resolution urging Myanmar to free all political detainees.

The rare double veto came despite attempts by the United States, a vocal critic of Myanmar, to water down the draft's language.