Junta imprisons Yan Yan Chan

Burmese authorities have smashed a popular Burmese pop group in a heavy-handed bid to stifle all opposition to the constitutional referendum planned for May, writes Edward Loxton for The First Post. Yan Yan Chan, founder and leader of the hip-hop group Acid, was arrested in a night-time raid on the home of a friend in the upper Burma town of Monywa. Another member of the group, Zayar Thaw, was arrested in February and is being held in Rangoon's notorious Insein Prison. No charges have been laid against the two young rappers.

Acid's repertoire contains thinly veiled attacks on the regime, whose censors have until now been too obtuse to unravel their meaning. But as opposition to the draft constitution and a stage-managed referendum grows, the authorities are lashing out in all directions. Frustrated at the rapid growth of anti-regime blog sites and online satirical songs, the authorities have stepped up their checks on internet outlets and have slowed down dramatically internet transmission speeds.

In January, one of Burma's best-known bloggers, Nay Phone Latt, was arrested and his three internet shops were closed down. The young activist, a member of the youth wing of the opposition National League for Democracy, was a major source of information about the regime's crackdown on last September's demonstrations and subsequent arrests.

Burmese bloggers attempt to keep the outside world informed about the fate of the country's nearly 2,000 political prisoners, many of whom are in ill-health. The most famous of them, Min Ko Naing, founder of the opposition 88 Students Generation movement, is said by his friends to be in danger of losing the sight of one eye because of neglect by prison authorities.

The Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners-Burma reported that Min Ko Naing, who has spent a total of more than 15 years in jail, has been refused medical attention to a serious eye infection.

Min Ko Naing was one of the first pro-democracy activists to be arrested at the start of last year's demonstrations. He and several other leading members of the 88 Students Generation - named after the 1988 student uprising - were rounded up as they demonstrated in August against steep increases in the prices of fuel and other necessities. No charges have been brought against them. "They're just being left to rot," said one friend.

FIRST POSTED APRIL 18, 2008