Sep 11, 2008 (DVB), Detained protest leader Ko Htin Kyaw clashed with prison officials yesterday when he refused to appear in court, according to sources close to his family.
Htin Kyaw, who is being detained in Rangoon's Insein prison for leading protests last year, refused to appear in court in protest at the poor timekeeping of witnesses and judges and their failure on some occasions to come to court at all.
Htin Kyaw was told by the authorities to come out of his cell to appear at the township court but he told them he could not do so.
When the prison authorities tried to drag him out of the cell, a scuffle broke out.
As a result, Htin Kyaw was taken to a court at the entrance to the prison instead of the court outside the jail, the sources said.
Htin Kyaw was arrested on 25 August last year for his role in instigating protests against fuel price hikes, and has been charged with causing public alarm under section 505(b) of the penal code.
He has been arrested and imprisoned at least three times for staging peaceful protests.
Monk leader U Gambira and 11 others also appeared at the court yesterday as their trial continued.
88 Generation Student leaders appeared at a special court inside Insein prison on the previous day.
Reporting by Aye Nai