Myanmar's military leader congratulates Obama

YANGON, Myanmar (AP)

Myanmar's state-controlled press says the country's military leader has sent congratulations to U.S. President-elect Barack Obama.

The Myanma Ahlin daily reported Saturday that Than Shwe, chairman of the Southeast Asian nation's military government, sent a message to Obama following his win in the U.S. election.

The U.S. is one of the strongest critics of a Myanmar regime that routinely jails dissidents and keeps Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest. Washington has imposed economic and political sanctions against the junta because it refuses to hand over power to a democratically elected government. Obama has received congratula

tions from U.S. friends and enemies around the world, including Iran's president.