Suu Kyi's husband, Michael Aris, an Oxford University research fellow in Tibetan and Himalayan studies, died of cancer in a British hospital yesterday. The junta offered its "sincere condolences" to nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. "The government of Myanmar is deeply saddened to hear of Michael Aris's demise and sends its sincere condolences and sympathy to the bereaved family in this time of grief," it said.

The junta said that it remained "sympathetic" to the visa request, but was "very concerned for him being a terminally ill patient in travelling strenuously halfway round the world to see his wife."

It also called for an end to the "politicising" of the situation. The junta claimed Suu Kyi conspired with the West to manipulate her husband's illness for political gain.

The junta had effectively refused his request for a visa tosee his wife in Yanon one last time before he died.