No Joke: Myanmar Cracks Down on Comics

Myanmar's most popular comedian, known for his jibes against the military regime and recently for helping cyclone victims, has been taken from his home by police, family members said Thursday.

Maung Thura — better known by his stage name of Zarganar — was taken into custody Wednesday night by police after they searched his house, the family said. He had just returned from the cyclone-shattered Irrawaddy delta where he had been donating relief items to survivors.

Zarganar, who has been imprisoned several times, is known to suffer from hypertension and other ailments.