Burma's military rulers have released a wounded protester in an apparent concession to those rallying across the country against a spike in fuel prices.
Activists said Friday that Ye Thein Naing was released after being taken to a hospital for treatment. His leg was broken when he was detained by authorities during a rally in late August.
Pro-democracy supporters jailed with him had staged a hunger strike on his behalf, ending it when the protester was given medical treatment.
Anti-government protests have been occurring almost daily in Burma in recent weeks.
Authorities fired their guns into the air to break up a march by monks in the central town Pakokku Wednesday, and according to witnesses then beat the protesters and their supporters. On Thursday, several monks retaliated, holding a group of officials hostage for several hours and setting fire to their cars.
After the hostages were released, witnesses say other monks in Pakokku ransacked an electronics shop owned by a local leader of a government-backed militia (Union Solidarity and Development Association).
Pakokku is a major center for Buddhist learning and study.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.
