YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar's military junta extended opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's detention by one year Tuesday, ignoring worldwide appeals to free the Nobel laureate who has been detained for more than 12 of the past 18 years.

The move came as officials said that international aid workers had finally begun entering Myanmar's cyclone-devastated delta area after being blocked for more than three weeks by the junta.

A government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press, said that Suu Kyi's detention was officially extended by one year on Tuesday afternoon.