Call to release Burma activists

By Clare Harkey
BBC News

Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains under house arrest

A pro-democracy group inside Burma says it has collected more than 60,000 signatures for a petition calling for the release of all political prisoners.

The petition was launched just days ago, following the detention of a number of prominent activists.

Burma's military government says the activists were plotting to destabilise the country.

It says they were colluding with communists and exiled political organisations to commit terrorism.

The authorities say they have taken the men into custody for questioning but have given no details of any charges.

Their families say they have been given no details either, but police have visited to collect clothes and documents belonging to the men.

Uprising

Five of the six detainees belong to the 88 Generation Students Group, which led a pro-democracy uprising against military rule in Burma in 1988.

They had all previously served long prison terms.

Analysts say the authorities have apparently become increasingly concerned about the level of support for the group.

The petition calls for the release of all political prisoners in Burma, including the pro-democracy leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest.

The United Nations estimates that there are about 1,100 political prisoners in Burmese jails.

The Burmese military government is already under pressure internationally, since the US and its allies succeeded in getting Burma onto the agenda of the UN Security Council.

The US ambassador at the UN says he believes the country is a threat to the stability of the region.