Top member of ousted ruling party held in Myanmar

A senior member of Myanmar's deposed ruling party has become the latest prominent politician arrested as the country's new military government confronts continuing resistance to its seizure of power.

Win Htein, 79, is a longtime confidante of the ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi and had publicly called for civil disobedience in opposition to Monday’s coup.

He was arrested at his home in Yangon and and taken to the capital Naypyitaw, Kyi Toe, a spokesman for Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) party stated on Friday on his Facebook page.

According to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, at least 133 officials or lawmakers and 14 civil society activists had been detained by the military in connection with its takeover. The NLD has said Suu Kyi and ousted President Win Myint are being held under charges that allow for their detention until mid-February.

Win Htein told the Myanmar-language service of Britain's BBC radio in a call early on Friday that he was being detained for sedition, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.