Protesters sent to notorious Myanmar prison

A group of 13 activists arrested for organising a rally against Myanmar’s junta over its massive hike in fuel prices have been sent to the country’s notorious Insein prison, a source said Saturday.

The prison is home to some of the nation’s estimated 1,100 political prisoners, and international rights groups have alleged abuse and torture were rampant there.

The activists include Min Ko Naing, who is considered Myanmar’s most prominent pro-democracy leader after detained opposition leader and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.

They were arrested Tuesday for leading a peaceful march Sunday through Yangon, which drew 500 protesters in the biggest anti-government rally here in at least nine years.

Myanmar, under military rule since 1962, tolerates little public dissent.

Min Ko Naing and 12 others were sent to Myanmar’s notorious Insein prison this week, the source close to Min Ko Naing told AFP. The source declined to give further details.

The 13 were members of the pro-democracy 88 Generation Students group, which is made up of former student leaders who led an uprising against military rule in 1988.

That uprising, which initially began as a protest over Myanmar’s harsh economic conditions, ended with soldiers firing into a crowd of students, killing hundreds if not thousands.

Min Ko Naing spent 15 years in jail for his role in the uprising and was released in November 2004. Since then, he has again spent another four months in detention due to his civil disobedience against the junta.

Since Sunday’s march, a series of peaceful protests over the fuel hikes have been held in Yangon but the junta quickly quashed them by hauling off demonstrators. Dozens have been arrested so far.

On Friday, authorities dragged some defiant demonstrators, mainly women, into trucks as they gathered near Yangon’s city hall. They were arrested before launching any action.

Several police cars stood guard near city hall Saturday, with plain-clothes security officials roaming the streets.

Inflation is estimated at 37 percent this year in Myanmar, one of the world’s poorest nations, and the hike in fuel prices has left many people unable to afford transport to get to work.