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Hundreds of demonstrators have defied the military junta in Myanmar to stage a rare protest march despite the arrests 13 leading pro-democracy activists.
According to witnesses around 300 people staged an hour-long march before being dispersed by gangs of unidentified men - believed to be members of the regime-created Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA).
The march followed a series of midnight raids aimed at confronting growing protests over rising fuel prices in the country formerly known as Burma.
Among those arrested were some of the country's most important dissidents.
In a rare public announcement the regime revealed in state-controlled newspapers that the activists had been arrested in Rangoon, now named Yangon, for seeking to cause "civil unrest and undermining the peace and security of the state".
The charges could see the dissidents jailed for up to 20 years.
Campaigners and relatives said that among those arrested were Min Ko Naing, Ko Ko Gyi, Ko Mya Aye, Ko Yin Htun and Ko Jimmy, leaders of a 1988 democracy movement that was lethally crushed by the regime.
Min Ko Naing, whose name means "Conqueror of Kings" and who was released from jail last year by the authorities after spending more than 15 years in jail, is probably the best-known activist in the country after Aung San Suu Kyi.
She remains under house arrest, having spent the best part of 17 years imprisoned.
"Military intelligence and government intelligence seized their houses and searched their houses," another dissident, Htay Kywe, who managed to escape arrest, told Reuters in a message passed to the news agency from Burmese groups in neighbouring Thailand.
Despite the series of arrests, reports from Myanmar said campaigners still took to the streets yesterday to protest against the government's recent increase in prices of fuel.
Some onlookers applauded the marchers.
Other reports said six campaigners were dragged away by members of the USDA, which is often used by the government to intimidate its opponents.
"We are marching to highlight the economic hardship that Burmese people are facing now, which has been exacerbated by the fuel price hike," a protester who identified herself only as Mimi told onlookers at yesterday's march.
Campaigners said the arrest of the activists displayed the regime's true colours.
"The regime has been trying to persuade the international community that it has a roadmap to democracy and will reform, but this exposes the raw truth, the regime will tolerate no dissent, not even peaceful protest," said Mark Farmaner, acting director of the Myanmar Campaign UK.
"The United Nations must set a deadline for genuine reform, including the release of all political prisoners.
We have had 19 years of regime lies and 19 years of the international community dithering while thousands of Burmese people are arrested, tortured and killed." In Washington, the US Campaign for Myanmar said in a statement that it was concerned that those arrested could be tortured.
It said: "Min Ko Naing and the other leaders arrested have all been severely tortured during previous incarcerations and we are gravely concerned for their immediate well-being."
Min Ko Naing's organisation, 88 Generation Students Group, led a march last Sunday which sought to connect with public anger about soaring inflation and a government-mandated 500 per cent increase in the price of compressed natural gas.
The price rise was introduced without warning and brought Yangon's bus service to a halt.Myanmar has some of Asia's biggest reserves of natural gas.
The arrests came just weeks before the UN Envoy to Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, is due to visit the country.
He is expected to report back to the United Nations Security Council following his visit.
Last month a group of British MPs visited Burmese refugees in Thailand and demanded that the UK government increase fourfold its aid budget to the country to help those forced from their homes by the regime.
Writing in The Independent John Bercow MP, said: "Myanmar suffers a political, human rights and humanitarian situation as grim as any in the world today.The country is run by an utterly illegitimate government that spends 50 per cent of its budget on the military and less than a 50p per head on the health and education of its own citizens."
- INDEPENDENT
