UN staff member, relatives freed in Myanmar

YANGON, Oct 4 (Reuters) A Myanmar UN staff member was freed along with two of her family members and her driver today, a day after being arrested during the junta's crackdown on anti-government protests, a UN source said.

Mynt Ngwe Mon, 38, who works with the UN Development Programme, was picked up from her house in the middle yesterday night along with her husband, Than Tun and brother-in-law Aung Kyaw Sint, a UN official said.

Her driver Tin Win was also detained later in the morning at her residence, the official said on condition of anonymity.

The crackdown has continued despite a mission by UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari to persuade junta chief Than Shwe to relax his grip and open talks with detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, whom Gambari met twice.

Gambari was to brief UN Security Council members on his talks on Friday after seeing UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

REUTERS JK PM1705