Sittwe: Imprisoned Shan leader, 74-year-old Major-General Hso Ten, arrived in Sittwe on Saturday from Rangoon, to be shifted to Sittwe prison, said a source close to the prison.

"He arrived at the Sittwe airport at 1:50 pm on 7 August along with many escorts and was taken to Sittwe prison soon after he landed," the source said.

He was reportedly transferred to Sittwe from Khamit in Sagaing Division in upper Burma.

The leader of the Shan State Army-North, Major-General Hso Ten was sentenced by the junta to 106 years in prison in 2005 for defamation of the state, association with illegal parties, and conspiring against the state.

"He was sentenced by Naypyidaw on 3 November, 2005, along with eight other Shan politicians," a Shan source said.

Major-General Hso Ten is reported to have been suffering from high blood pressure since 2008 and underwent an eye problem, three years after his arrest. He is also reported to have broken his arm when he slipped and fell in the bathroom recently. To date he has received no treatment for his health problems, according to the Shan Herald Agency for News.

Sittwe prison is the largest in western Burma, and held prominent 88 Generation student leader Ko Min Ko Naing when he was detained from 1989 to 2004.