Prominent regime critic and comedian arrested in Myanmar

Jun 5, 2008, 11:04 GMT

Bangkok - A popular Myanmar comedian known for his criticism and satire of the country's military junta and more recently for his relief work among its cyclone victims has been arrested, a magazine reported Thursday.

Zarganar, 47, was arrested Wednesday night at his Yangon home, friends told the Irrawaddy magazine.

Authorities confiscated a computer and 1,000 dollars in donations for victims of last month's Cyclone Nargis, the exile magazine published in neighbouring Thailand said.

Zarganar defied an order that cyclone donations should be distributed through representatives of the junta and ignored warnings not to talk with foreign media.

He organized relief missions into the areas hit by Cyclone Nargis on May 2-3 and reported back on the conditions he found in the wake of the storm, which left, by UN estimates, more than 77,000 dead, 55,000 missing and 2.4 million in need of food, shelter and medical care.

The comedian, who is banned from performing and has spent years jailed as a political prisoner, told the Irrawaddy earlier this week that he and the 400 relief volunteers he had organized had run into problems with Myanmar's authorities, who have been criticized by the international community for not allowing in aid experts and dragging its heels on its relief efforts.

'Sometimes, we had confrontations with the authorities,' Zarganar said. 'For example, they asked us why we were going on our own without consulting them and wanted us to negotiate with them. They said they couldn't guarantee our lives.'

Zarganar is considered to be the most popular comedian in Myanmar. The trained dentist also works as an actor, director, producer and writer.