BANGKOK. Oct 9: A close ally of Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, imprisoned by the military government for the past eight years, has been sent to Yangon General Hospital and is probably near death, a human rights group said Thursday, reports AP

Win fin, a member of the central executive committee of Suu Kyi's political party, the National League for Democracy, was transferred to the hospital from Mylngyan Prison near Mandalay sometime last week. Human Rights Watch Asia said in a news release received in Bangkok.

Sources in Yangon confirmed that Win Tim has been admitted to the hospital, but no other details were available. The military government has

not yet responded to queries about him.

The former newspaper editor, reportedly viewed by the military as a trouble some adviser to Suu Kyi. suffers from a heart condition that requires constant medication. He also developed spinal problems while in prison.

The Burmese military has denied the Red Cross access to political prisoners. Human rights groups have documented systematic abuses in the Burmese prison system, considered one of the worst in the world.

Rights groups reported last year that Win Tin had been beaten and was being kept in a tiny cell meant to house military dogs.