Adventures of a Wetware Hacker

Ms Suu Kyi has been in detention for most of the last 18 years

A senior US diplomat has held talks with Burmese government ministers in Beijing, in the first such high-level meeting since 2003.

The US pressed for the release of the democracy activist, Aung San Suu Kyi.

Ms Suu Kyi, 61, has spent 11 of the last 18 years in detention. Her latest period of house arrest began in 2003.

Washington described the discussions as frank but that there was no sign the Burmese military government had changed its basic opinions.

Fight for democracy

Eric John, a deputy assistant secretary of state, met Burma's ministers of foreign affairs, culture and information in the Chinese capital, Beijing.

US state department spokesman Tom Casey said it was "a very frank discussion of our concerns about the regime, about its behaviour".

"It gave us an opportunity to express our opinions directly," he said.

Last month members of Ms Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy marked the 17th anniversary of their party's landslide election victory.

However, the victory was never recognised by the junta.

They have ruled the country - which it calls Myanmar - since a coup in 1962.

In 1991, Ms Suu Kyi was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to bring democracy to Burma.