Witnesses say Burmese authorities arrested nine members of an opposition political group Tuesday, as they held a protest in Rangoon calling for the release of democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The witnesses say the nine members of her National League for Democracy's youth wing were arrested by police as they marched on the country's old parliament building. The protesters were holding a banner calling for Aung San Suu Kyi's release from house arrest.
Aung San Suu Kyi has been held under house arrest in Rangoon for 13 of the last 19 years.
Her party won a landslide victory in 1990 elections, but the military, which has ruled the country since 1962, never allowed it to take power.