Burmese exiles say security forces in military ruled Burma have arrested the prominent political activist Nilar Thein.
Two
news agencies run by exiled Burmese journalists, Mizzima and the
Democratic Voice of Burma, report Thursday that Nilar Thein was
detained Wednesday evening in Rangoon's Yan Kin district. Nilar Thein
is one of the leading members of the 88 Generation Students, a
pro-democracy group that organized mass demonstrations 20 years ago to
challenge the rule of Burma's military government.
The reports
say she went into hiding a year ago after joining peaceful
pro-democracy protests that were crushed by the military. Her husband,
Kyaw Min Yu, was arrested for joining the demonstrations.
U.N.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed frustration Thursday about the
situation in Burma. He said the country has not made the political
progress he had hoped for, including an inclusive political process
with human rights.
A military government has ruled Burma since 1962, and has been widely criticized for suppressing basic freedoms.
The
opposition National League for Democracy won general elections in 1990,
but the country's military leaders refused to relinquish power. It has
kept pro-democracy leader and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi
under house arrest for 13 of the past 19 years.
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