Sittwe: Burmese military junta authorities on Sunday transferred five political prisoners on the Danyawaddy ferry ship from Sittwe to Buthidaung prison with their heads covered in black hoods, said an eyewitness on condition of anonymity.

"I went to the jetty in the morning to see them but I was unable to because the police had covered their heads with black hoods and dragged them to the ferry ship," she said.

The five political prisoners were sent to Buthidaung prison from Sittwe the day after they had arrived in Sittwe from Thandwe prison. They were sentenced to one year in prison by the district court of Thandwe for marching on the streets to protest against the military government on the 20th anniversary of the 8-8-88 uprising in Burma.

It is unusual for authorities to cover the heads and faces of prisoners when they are in public, even if they are notorious crime bosses.

"I think the authorities intended to threaten the public, with the message 'if you do it you may face this.' The authorities want people to stay away from any form of protest against the military regime. So they are threatening people by showing the sentenced in black hoods," she said.

Among the prisoners was a woman student, Ma Ni Ni May Myint, who also had a black hood and was dragged to the ferry by two policemen.

"It was not only me, but there were other people who suffered from the sight of Ma Ni Ni May Myint, because she was being dragged by two policemen who held her on either side by her arms. There were no police women to take her away. One can see how the authorities abuse women's rights in Burma."

According to a prison source, the five young political prisoners began a hunger strike on Ottama Memorial Day on September 9 in Thandwe prison to oppose their unjust punishment by the authorities.

After two days, on September 11, the authorities moved them to Buthidaung out of fear that their hunger strike might spread among other prisoners in Thandwe.

The young political prisoners have been identified as Ko Moe Nay Soe, Ko Than Htay, Ko Chit Maung Maung, Ko Maung Maung Thet, and Ms. Ni Ni May Myint.

Buthidaung prison is currently notorious in Arakan State because prison authorities frequently abuse prisoners by using them as forced labour. Prisoners are forced to work not only in government work sites, but also for private business ventures who bribe prison authorities.