Shan: State Day Marked in Rangoon
Only a small number of people attended the event as the many top Shan leaders are being detained by the Burmese authorities.
Nine Shan leaders including Shan National League for Democracy (NLD) chairman Khun Htun Oo and secretary Sai Nyunt Lwin, were arrested on 9 February 2005, two days after celebrating Shan State Day. They were secretly tried under several charges, and severe prison sentences were passed on them during a hearing held at the Special Court inside Insein Jail on 3 November.
Htun Oo was given a jail term of 90 years while Shan State Peace Council Chairman (SSPC) Gen Hso Ten was sentenced to 106 years imprisonment. The other six Shan leaders were all given 70-year sentences each.