The protesters, some of whom were wearing the uniform of the National League for Democracy (NLD) party, were seized after holding banners saying 'Free Suu Kyi' outside the people's parliament, they said.

'They tried to march near the people's parliament. They were arrested by the authorities,' one witness said on condition of anonymity, adding that the arrests happened at about 3.00 pm (4.30 pm Singapore time).

There was no immediate confirmation from the NLD.

Myanmar's military rulers have kept 63-year-old Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest in Yangon for most of the past 19 years. She currently has an appeal pending against her detention.

Aung San Suu Kyi's party won a landslide victory in 1990 elections but the junta, which has ruled the country since 1962, never allowed it to take office.

About 270 activists including monks, student leaders and NLD members have been handed long jail terms in recent weeks for their roles in anti-junta protests last year and for helping victims of Cyclone Nargis in May. -- AFP