Myanmar detains dozens of opposition members

Authorities in military-run Myanmar detained dozens of opposition party members yesterday as they returned from ceremonies marking the death of the father of jailed pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, witnesses said. The arrests came after riot police set up barricades around the Martyrs' Mausoleum where the official ceremony took place to commemorate the death of General Aung San, the country's independence hero. At least 50 members of the opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) party were walking in small groups when they were arrested, witnesses said on condition of anonymity for fear of official reprisal. It was not immediately clear why police detained them. Some of the NLD members had been attending a ceremony at party headquarters to mark General Aung San's death 62 years ago, while others had been at the official commemoration. "Some members were roughly taken into trucks, and those who ran away were chased," a witness said. Some who ran onto public buses were dragged out and taken away.