Dec 12, 2008 (DVB), Prominent 88 generation student member Nilar Thein, who is currently serving a 65-year sentence in Thayet prison, has asked permission to be held in a jail with her husband and young daughter, a family member of hers said.

According to Nilar Thein's sister Moe Moe, the detained activist told her mother during a recent visit that she had asked to be held in the same prison as her husband Kyaw Min Yu, known as Ko Jimmy, and their baby daughter.

Ko Jimmy, who has also been sentenced to 65 years' imprisonment, is currently being held in Taunggyi prison.

Nilar Thein sent a letter to authorities in Naypyidaw asking them to grant her request on compassionate grounds.

Moe Moe said her sister had lost her appetite due to the separation but her mother persuaded her to keep eating.

Nilar Thein was arrested on 10 September this year for her part in protests against the Burmese government's doubling of fuel prices in August 2007.

When her husband was arrested along with other 88 generation student leaders on 21 August 2007, Nilar Thein went into hiding, leaving her month-old daughter in the care of relatives.

Reporting by Khin Hnin Htet