Oct 12, 2007 (DVB), Sixteen monks were brought before a specially-convened tribunal inside Thayet prison at around noon yesterday.

According to a prison source, speaking on condition of anonymity, the tribunal has been set up in a facility that usually house official visitors to the prison.

There is no further information on whether the monks have been sentenced or what charges they face.

Local residents reported the arrival of several monks and women at Thayet prison on Wednesday. The detainees were believed to have been transferred from Mandalay and Magwe, where they had been arrested for taking part in demonstrations.

NLD party members from Taung Twin Gyi township were also seen being brought to the same prison yesterday.

Reporting by Maung Too