Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was taken into "protective custody" following violent clashes between her supporters and opponents in northern Burma, military officials in Rangoon said today.
Suu Kyi, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner, was nearing the end of a month-long political swing through the northern countryside when she was detained late Friday after hundreds of her supporters fought with opponents, leaving four people dead and dozens injured, according to Tin Win, a spokesman for Burma's military government. Military officials said at a news conference that at least 17 of her backers were also picked up.
Human rights activists said the clash marked a serious escalation of the conflict between the government and Suu Kyi, further clouding the prospects for resuming discussions between the two sides over a compromise that could move Burma, also known as Myanmar, toward democracy and end more than a decade of international isolation.
Washington Post May 31
