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BANGKOK, Thailand-Myanmar's ruling military has imprisoned nearly 100 more political activists, despite its promise to the United Nations that it would halt arrests following last September's pro-democracy demonstrations, a human rights group said Friday. Amnesty International said 1,850 political prisoners were behind bars, including 96 imprisoned since early November when the government told the United Nations they had halted all arrests."Rather than stop its unlawful arrests the Myanmar government has actually accelerated them," the London-based group said in a statement.In an unusual joint appeal, Britain, France and the United States urged global leaders Thursday to press the Myanmar government to respect the basic rights of its people.The appeal, issued by the foreign ministers of the three countries at the World Economic Forum in Davos, said a priority for this year's meeting "is the urgent need for progress toward a transition to democracy and improved human rights in Burma," as the country is also known. Amnesty said that at least 700 people who were arrested as a result of the September protests remain in prison, while 1,150 political prisoners held prior to the protests have not been released. More than 80 others remain unaccounted for since September, the group said.The demonstrations, sparked by a sudden increase in fuel prices, swelled to mass street protests in Yangon, Myanmar's principal city, before the military crackdown.Amid worldwide condemnation following the mass arrests, the U.N. dispatched Special Representative Ibrahim Gambari to urge reforms and a dialogue between Suu Kyi and the military. He was promised that the arrests would be stopped. But to date, such international efforts have resulted in little or no apparent change in the Southeast Asian country.Those arrested since Nov. 1 include Buddhist monks, trade unionists, pro-democracy dissidents and members of the National League for Democracy, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, Amnesty said.
Among the latest arrested was a popular poet, Saw Wai, who was taken into custody Jan. 15 after authorities deciphered part of a love poem that contained a hidden message attacking junta leader General Than Shwe(picture above left)
As in the days of Noah....
