Several policemen were seen visiting Tin Oo's house to inform him that the restrictions had been extended, according to a neighbor who asked not to be named for fear of government reprisal.
The extension was for one year, said a government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to release such information. Myanmar's junta tightly controls the release of all news.
Tin Oo, 82, the vice chairman of the National League for Democracy, was arrested with Suu Kyi in May 2003, when a pro-government mob attacked their motorcade as they were making a political tour of northern Myanmar. Both party leaders have been in either prison or under house arrest since then.
The extension came less than two weeks after an official visit by the U.N.'s visiting envoy earlier this month in an effort to promote political reform in the military-ruled country.
Special envoy Ibrahim Gambari, who met with Prime Minister Gen. Thein Sein, reportedly asked Myanmar's junta to release more political prisoners, to consider a dialogue with Suu Kyi and to make the military-guided political process inclusive for all. But since the visit, there have been no signs of progress on promoting democracy and political reconciliation.
Tin Oo's detention had been extended several times since 2005. He is not allowed to receive visitors but has been allowed a medical checkup.
The junta took power in 1988 after violently suppressing mass pro-democracy protests. It held a general election in 1990, but refused to recognize the results after a landslide victory by Suu Kyi's party.
The extension had been expected, since the military government has shown no signs of wishing to talk with Suu Kyi's party to resolve the country's political deadlock. Tin Oo was one of the party's founders in 1988.
Human rights groups say Myanmar now holds more than 2,100 political prisoners, up sharply from nearly 1,200 before mass pro-democracy demonstrations in 2007.
Myanmar reports huge heroin haul in January
The haul for January compares with 2.33 kg seized in December and 68.37 kg in the whole of 2007. Official figures for all of 2008 have not been published.
Police sources said the ship was raided after a tip-off from Interpol and Chinese officials as it prepared to leave a Yangon port. A huge amount of heroin was found among its cargo of logs.
The sources did not say exactly how much heroin was discovered on the ship, which is owned by a Singapore-based company.
"It's confirmed that a large amount of heroin was seized from that ship," a Home Ministry official said, asking for anonymity.
"I can't give you any further information at present but I can say it could be the biggest single haul in Yangon," he added.
Myanmar is considered the world's second-largest producer of heroin after Afghanistan. Its heroin goes mainly to China and Pacific Rim countries such as Australia. (Reporting by Aung Hla Tun; Editing by Alan Raybould and Sugita Katyal)
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