Myanmar detains at least 20 activists

Myanmar's military junta detained more than 20 activists, including a close aide of detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, an opposition party spokesman said Tuesday.
The arrests came ahead of the country's May 10 referendum on a new constitution that critics say was drafted to perpetuate military rule.
Myo Nyunt, a youth member of the opposition National League for Democracy and a close aide of Suu Kyi, was arrested Tuesday morning at his home near the country's biggest city of Yangon, according to NLD spokesman Nyan Win.
More than 20 other activists were arrested Sunday as they rallied peacefully against the country's proposed constitution in the northwestern city of Sittwe, Nyan Win said.
The protesters were wearing T-shirts printed with the word "No," during a 5-day festival to celebrate the new year's holiday under Myanmar's traditional calendar.
"Arrests of NLD members and intimidation against opponents of the regime's draft constitution are becoming more frequent," Nyan Win said, adding that several activists have also been attacked by unidentified assailants.
The NLD has urged voters to reject the charter constitution because it was drafted without any input from the junta's critics and the country's pro-democracy movement. The document's provisions would also ban Suu Kyi from government.
Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine state in western Myanmar, is known for its strong anti-military sentiment. It was the city where Buddhist monks first joined anti-junta rallies that swelled into nationwide protests last September. At least 31 people were killed when the military crushed the protests, sparking global outrage.
Nyan Win said more than 120 NLD members have been arrested since the crackdown. Thousands of other protesters were also detained with many facing trials and some given harsh prison sentences.
On Sunday, some youth activists in suburban Yangon were reprimanded by authorities and warned not to wear the "No" T-shirts, said a member of the NLD who asked not to be named for fear of official reprisal.
Last week, the NLD called on international observers to take part in the referendum next month because the rules are stacked against the military regime's opponents.
Junta officials rejected the idea of international observers when it was proposed to them by United Nations special envoy Ibrahim Gambari in a meeting last month.
The document bans anyone who enjoyed the rights and privileges of a foreign citizen from holding public office. This would keep Suu Kyi out of government because her late husband was a Briton.
The proposed charter allots 25 percent of the seats in both houses of Parliament to the military.
It also stipulates that no amendments to the charter can be made without the consent of more than 75 percent of lawmakers, making changes unlikely unless supported by military representatives.
The constitutional referendum is supposed to be followed by a general election in 2010.
Myanmar has been without a constitution since 1988, when the current junta took power and scrapped the previous charter after violently quashing mass pro-democracy demonstrations.