YANGON – Myanmar's Supreme Court rejected Friday an appeal by pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi against her house arrest, a court witness said.

Suu Kyi, detained for 15 of the past 21 years, was sentenced to a further 18 months of house arrest in August for allowing an uninvited American to stay in her lakeside home after he swam over to see her.

That incident took place in May 2009, just before an earlier period of house arrest was due to end. Taking into account the three months she spent in a prison guesthouse after the incident, her 18-month sentence would end in November.

Home Minister Major General Maung Oo said on January 21 the 64-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner would be released in November, a comment Suu Kyi said was in contempt of court because her appeal had not been heard at that point.