54 Held on Charges of Inciting Unrest

Officials said 54 people, including 23 members of the opposition National League for Democracy, or NLD, were detained for inciting student unrest and demonstrations in August and September. Among those detained were activists who obtained funds from and conspired with foreign organizations, a military government spokesman said. Foreign groups involved in the alleged plot were the New York-based Open Society Institute, founded by billionaire George Soros, and the Thai chapter of the Vatican City-based World Society of Jesuit Refugee Services. NLD officials, including leader Aung San Suu Kyi, were not available for comment.