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Myanmar releases two leading democracy activists

Myanmar freed two celebrity activists who were detained for supporting Buddhist monks leading mass protests, a colleague said yesterday, as Washington moved to tighten sanctions against the regime.

The country's most famous comedian, Zaganar, and leading actor Kyaw Thu were credited with attracting popular support to last month's rallies, helping turn them into the biggest anti-government protests in nearly 20 years.

Zaganar was arrested on Sept. 26, hours before Myanmar's military began violently quelling protests in the streets of Yangon in a crackdown that left at least 13 dead and saw some 3,000 detained.

Kyaw Thu and his wife went into hiding but were detained on Oct. 10. All three were freed late on Wednesday, one of their colleagues said.

Zaganar and Kyaw Thu had delivered food and water to the monks at Yangon's Shwedagon pagoda, the country's holiest site, which served as a major rallying point for the rallies.

RELEASE

Their release came a week after the UN Security Council issued a statement calling on the junta to release all political prisoners and to open a dialogue with the pro-democracy opposition.

UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari, who is touring Asia seeking to increase the pressure on the regime to change course, said it must be offered incentives along with the tough words.

He said he backed a combination of "strong encouragement of the authorities of Myanmar to do the right thing along with some incentives to say that ... the world is not just there to punish Myanmar."

Gambari, speaking in Indonesia, did not elaborate on what those incentives could be.

He was aiming to return to Myanmar next month, after a first post-crackdown mission three weeks ago during which he met junta leader Senior General Than Shwe and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is under house arrest.

`HELPFUL'

Gambari said China -- a key Myanmar ally that has been criticized for its policy of non-interference -- had been "very helpful" in persuading the junta to let him in, and in promoting dialogue.

US lawmakers have added to the pressure on the regime by proposing further restrictions on Myanmar's access to US financial institutions and banning the import of gemstones.

Earlier this week, the EU blocked imports of Myanmar's teak wood and gemstones.
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