Foreign ministry deputy spokesman Piriya Khempon said Thailand had called on military-ruled Myanmar to lift restrictions on Aung San Suu Kyi, who has spent most of the last 17 years in detention.

"Thailand was disappointed with the decision of the Myanmar government to extend Aung San Suu Kyi's house arrest," he said.

The foreign ministry said in its statement that the release of the democracy icon would have ensured "inclusiveness in the national reconciliation process and democratization of Myanmar."

The Nobel peace laureate must spend another year under house arrest at her Yangon lakeside home after police sources confirmed Friday that military rulers had ordered the move.

The extension drew a sharp rebuke from around the world, particularly from the European Union and the United States, Myanmar's fiercest critics and which currently have economic sanctions against the regime.