UN human rights envoy Paulo Sergio Pinheiro was "concerned" about the arrest of a prominent Myanmar labour activist while he met junta officials, a United Nations official told AFP Wednesday.
Su Su Nway, 35, was arrested Tuesday while putting up anti-government posters in Yangon. She had been in hiding since leading a brief demonstration in Yangon in late August over soaring fuel prices.
Pinheiro is on a mission to the death toll and the number of people detained during the junta's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, as well as rights abuses. "He is aware of the arrest made during his visit and has expressed his concern," Charles Petrie, the UN's top representative in Myanmar, told AFP.
"He will continue these discussions in his meetings tomorrow," said Petrie, whom the ruling generals are expelling, saying he has misrepresented the humanitarian situation in Myanmar.
A pro-government blog said Su Su Nway was arrested along with a 25-year-old colleague named Bo Bo while two others managed to escape. Activists have regularly tried to distribute leaflets since the crackdown. Authorities earlier this month also seized Buddhist monk, Gambira, who was a key leader of the massive anti-junta protests in September, exiled media groups and an activist said Wednesday.
Monks were at the forefront of the protests, which began as demonstrations against a surprise hike in fuel prices in August and snowballed into the biggest anti-government demonstrations the junta has faced since 1988.
Human rights groups have called on Pinheiro to pressure the junta to release all political prisoners during his mission. The United Nations said Pinheiro would be allowed to meet prisoners, following his meeting Tuesday with Home Affairs Minister Major-General Maung.
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