The United Nations, Western nations and human rights groups expressed concern after sentences of 65 years each were given to 14 activists on Tuesday. They included members of the 88 Generation Students group who played prominent roles ahead of mass pro-democracy protests that were violently crushed last year.

'It's no secret that Burma's military rulers show no respect for law, but these last few weeks show a more concentrated crackdown on dissent clearly aimed at intimidating the population,' said Ms Elaine Pearson, deputy Asia director at the New York-based group Human Rights Watch. Myanmar is also known by its former name Burma.

'These peaceful activists should not be on trial in the first place, let alone thrown in prison for years after unfair trials,' Pearson said in a statement.

At least 14 National League for Democracy members were given prison sentences ranging from 2 years to 16 years in different courts on Friday, said party spokesman Nyan Win said.

More than 50 people, including 30 NLD party members, were given long sentences on various charges this week, he said. Many were arrested in connection to protests against economic hardship and monk-led pro-democracy demonstrations in August and September 2007.

Nine Buddhist monks were given 6- to 8-year jail terms this week, Mr Nyan Win said.

The army used force last December to quash the demonstrations.

According to UN estimates, at least 31 people were killed and thousands of protesters detained. Many fled the country or went underground.

The human rights group Amnesty International and other organisations say Myanmar's generals now hold more than 2,100 political prisoners, compared with nearly 1,200 in June 2007 before the pro-democracy demonstrations.

The prisoners include Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, head of the National League of Democracy, who has spent years under house arrest.

Also condemned this week were a prominent blogger, who received more than 20 years in jail for Internet activities, and a poet sentenced to two years for concealing the text of an anti-government slogan in one of his works. -- AP