The party of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi says Burma's military rulers have sentenced two of her supporters to 18 months in prison for praying for her release.

A protester stands behind mock prison bars during a picket to mark the 64th birthday of jailed Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, 19 Jun 2009

National League for Democracy spokesman Nyan Win said Sunday party members Chit Pe and Aung Saw Wai were charged with insulting religion and sentenced several days ago.

Nyan Win says the two NLD members were arrested in April after leading prayers for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and other dissidents at a pagoda in the southern town of Twante.

In a separate case, the NLD spokesman says Burmese authorities arrested three other party members earlier this month for violating an explosives law.  No other details of the charges were available.

Burma's military government does not tolerate dissent.  It has detained Aung San Suu Kyi for 13 of the past 19 years.

The 64-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner is currently being held in Rangoon's Insein prison.  She is on trial on charges of violating her house arrest for allowing an American man to stay at her lakeside home in May after he swam there uninvited.

The international community has condemned the trial as a sham.  Her supporters say Burma's rulers are using it to keep her in custody during upcoming elections in 2010.

Rights groups say the Burmese government is keeping more than 2,000 dissidents in detention.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP and AP.