Sittwe: Police in Sittwe seized T-shirts emblazoned with the image of U Ottama and arrested people who were wearing the shirts in public, said a student in Sittwe on condition of anonymity.

"A police team seized the T-shirts from people who were walking on the streets of Sittwe wearing the T-shirts. Some youths were also arrested for wearing them," he said.

Police Inspector Khin Maung Hla led the police team. He ordered wearers to take off the T-shirts on the streets. Some people refused to follow the orders to take off the T-shirts. They were subsequently arrested and taken to an unknown location.

"Yesterday I saw about 20 people who took off the T-shirts on the main streets of Sittwe after the police ordered them. At least four young people were arrested as they refused to take off the T-shirts," the student said.

According to a local source, the police released a youth from Roma Artists soon after his arrest, but three other youths are still being detained at an unknown location. Two of the three detained youths are from Wra Gri Mrauk Ward and the other is from Rupa Taung Ward in Sittwe.

Ottama was an Arakanese monk who was a pioneer of the Burmese independence movement during British rule, but the military does not allow people to honour the monk with any kind celebrations.

The Arakanese community inside Burma typically honours the anniversary of Ottama's death on September 9 every year, despite the  ban.