Myanmar said to be still making arrests

YANGON, Myanmar, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- New allegations are surfacing of a methodical crackdown on participants of a doomed series of anti-government demonstrations in Myanmar.

Witness reports coming out of the Southeast Asian nation show a pattern in which Buddhist monks suspected of leading the protests have been quietly detained by government security forces.

The British newspaper Independent said Thursday the arrests are followed up by the subsequent detention of thousands of civilians suspected of taking part in the demonstrations. Arrests are often carried out in the dead of night with suspects held for days in squalid conditions and roughed up repeatedly by security forces.

The Myanmar government has acknowledged nearly 3,000 arrests in connection with the demonstrations. The Independent said opposition groups peg the number at between 6,000 and 10,000.