Detained activists in Burma are reported to have started a hunger strike, as authorities step up efforts to find other activists involved in recent anti-government protests.
Sources close to the detainees say the hunger strike began today. The claim could not be independently confirmed. The sources say the strikers are demanding that authorities provide medical treatment to an injured colleague.
Burma's military-run government has ordered local officials and the public to be on the look-out for activists allegedly behind the recent protests. Many have gone into hiding.
The opposition National League for Democracy says authorities detained more than 100 people last week, following a series of demonstrations against a steep increase in fuel prices.
Most of the protests took place in Rangoon, but the unrest spread to other parts of Burma, highlighting the widespread frustration with rising prices in the impoverished country.
Plainclothes police officers and pro-military gangs have been patrolling cities to prevent further protests.