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Myanmar arrests activist as U.S. aid ships leave

by Dave Keating | June 5, 2008 at 04:08 am | 199 views | 1 comment | 5 recommendations

It's been more than a month since the cyclone that devastated burma hit, and the government has still not allowed the US and French military ships with aid docked just outside to come in. Now the US ship is leaving, and the Myanmar government has arrested yet another activist. As of today's count, the storm left 134,000 people deador missing.

Myanmar has detained a top activist comedian involved in a private aid effort for cyclone victims, a relative said, as U.S. warships sailed away on Thursday after the military junta refused to accept their aid offer.

Zarganar, who was last detained in the crackdown on fuel price protests in September, was taken from his Yangon home by secret police on Wednesday evening, the family member said, on condition of anonymity.

They also seized his computer and several banned films, including the latest Rambo movie, which features the U.S. Vietnam War veteran taking on the former Burma's ruling military on behalf of Christian ethnic Karen rebels.

Police also found a copy of the leaked video of the lavish "champagne and diamonds" wedding in 2006 of army supremo Than Shwe's daughter, which caused outrage among ordinary people in one of Asia's poorest countries.