By Aung Hla Tun
YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar has detained a top activistcomedian involved in a private aid effort for cyclone victims,a relative said, as U.S. warships sailed away on Thursday afterthe military junta refused to accept their aid offer.
Zarganar, who was last detained in the crackdown on fuelprice protests in September, was taken from his Yangon home bysecret police on Wednesday evening, the family member said, oncondition of anonymity.
They also seized his computer and several banned films,including the latest Rambo movie, which features the U.S.Vietnam War veteran taking on the former Burma's rulingmilitary on behalf of Christian ethnic Karen rebels.
Police also found a copy of the leaked video of the lavish"champagne and diamonds" wedding in 2006 of army supremo ThanShwe's daughter, which caused outrage among ordinary people inone of Asia's poorest countries.
"They searched his room and took away some CDs, includingthe latest Rambo film, the wedding ceremony of Senior GeneralThan Shwe's daughter, records on damage by Cyclone Nargis andthe hard disc from his computer," the family source said.
Zarganar's current whereabouts are unknown, and he isexpected to be questioned for several days, the source added.
His detention is likely to cause concern for the manyinformal private groups who are quietly collecting aid in theformer capital and trucking it to the Irrawaddy delta, whereCyclone Nargis has left 2.4 million people in need of help.
More than a month after the storm, which also left 134,000people dead or missing, many survivors have not yet beenreached and Western nations and foreign aid groups say therelief effort is being hampered by the country's militaryrulers.
After more than two weeks of waiting for a green light thatnever came, four U.S. warships laden with supplies and 22helicopters set sail on Thursday for Thailand frominternational waters near the delta.
"Should the Burmese rulers have a change of heart andrequest our full assistance for their suffering people, we areprepared to help," Admiral Timothy Keating, the U.S. military'stop regional commander, said.
EVICTIONS
In its first assessment of the junta's response to thedisaster, Amnesty International said the government wasstepping up its eviction of victims from emergency shelters,but said it was unclear whether this was official policy.
"The government's actions place tens of thousands ofalready vulnerable survivors at increased risk of death,disease or starvation," the London-based rights group said.
The United Nations and aid organisations alreadyestablished in Myanmar before the cyclone are able to getrelief supplies to the delta, although red tape continues tokeep many foreign disaster experts and relief workers inYangon.
The U.N.'s World Food Programme estimates it will need tofeed at least 750,000 people in Yangon and the delta for sometime to come.
(Writing by Ed Cropley; Editing by Darren Schuettler andSanjeev Miglani)
