Yangon: A relentless crackdown on Myanmar’s pro-democracy activists showed no sign of easing with the junta announcing on Sunday that 78 more people have been detained in spite of global outrage and new sanctions.

The latest arrests brought to nearly 1,000 the number of people detained, the state-run New Light of Myanmar reported. At least 135 Buddhist monks remain in custody.

Dissident groups and foreign governments say more than 6,000 people have been locked up after last month’s protests, the biggest in nearly two decades.

The government says 10 people, including a Japanese photographer, were killed in the violence. However, independent sources said the death toll is likely in the hundreds.

The New Light of Myanmar, a mouthpiece of the junta, quoted investigators as saying 78 more people “who were involved in the protest” were being questioned. It did not say when they were detained.

These were in addition to 2,093 people who were detained earlier, of which 1,215 were released by Saturday, the paper said.

Authorities also took in 533 monks for questioning “to differentiate between real monks and bogus monks.” They said 398 monks have been sent back to their monasteries.

http://archive.gulfnews.com/world/Myanmar/10158675.html