May 27 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. President Barack Obama described Myanmar’s court case against pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi as a “show trial” and demanded the military regime release her immediately.

The Nobel Peace Prize winner, who testified for the first time yesterday at her trial for allegedly breaching a house arrest order, faces as many as five years in prison if convicted. Pro-democracy campaigners say the ruling generals are looking for a legal pretext to jail her before 2010 elections.

Obama said Suu Kyi’s “continued detention, isolation, and show trial based on spurious charges cast serious doubt” on Myanmar’s willingness to be a responsible member of the international community.

Suu Kyi, daughter of Myanmar independence leader General Aung San, has spent a total of 13 years in detention since her party won the country’s last elections in 1990, a result rejected by the military.

The 63-year-old was brought to trial after a U.S. citizen, John Yettaw, allegedly swam to her lakeside home and stayed with her for two nights. Yettaw and two of Suu Kyi’s assistants are also on trial.

Suu Kyi denied breaching the conditions of her house arrest order by offering shelter to Yettaw, Nyo Ohn Myint, a Thailand-based spokesman for her National League for Democracy party, said by telephone after being briefed on the hearing. She told the court the man arrived uninvited and the regime is responsible for guarding her residence. The NLD says Suu Kyi only let the American stay after he complained of cramps.

‘Tired-Looking’

Diplomats and journalists present at the hearing stood out of respect for a “tired-looking” Suu Kyi when she entered and left the courtroom, ignoring prison officials who urged them to sit, Nyo Ohn Myint said. Suu Kyi is set to testify again today, and diplomats will find out this morning if they can observe the trial, he said.

Obama, in a statement released as he was en route to Nevada for a political fundraiser yesterday, called on the junta “to drop all charges against Aung San Suu Kyi and unconditionally release her and her fellow political prisoners.” The U.S. says Myanmar holds more than 2,100 political prisoners.

Myanmar’s regime, which has ruled the country formerly known as Burma since 1962, says Suu Kyi’s detention and trial are “in accordance with the normal practice in every state.”

Asean Call Rejected

The regime earlier this week “strongly rejected” a statement from the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations calling on Myanmar to release Suu Kyi immediately.

Thailand, which chairs the group that includes Myanmar, violated the bloc’s protocol and was “incorrect in facts,” according to a junta statement published in the state-run New Light of Myanmar.

The regime last year extended Suu Kyi’s detention for a year, fueling speculation the house arrest order would expire today. The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention said Suu Kyi should have been freed in May 2008 and called for her immediate release in a legal opinion last year. Her lawyers have said her detention violates Myanmar and international law.

Jared Genser, Suu Kyi’s U.S.-based legal counsel, welcomed Obama’s statement and said sustained U.S. pressure is needed to engage the UN Security Council on the issue.

“Specifically, the military regime has flouted prior statements by the council urging an early release of political prisoners, open access for humanitarian aid, meaningful steps towards national reconciliation and a restoration of democracy,” he said in a statement.

To contact the reporters on this story: Daniel Ten Kate in Bangkok at dtenkate@bloomberg.net; Edwin Chen in Washington at Echen32@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: May 26, 2009 21:13 EDT