Anti-Government Protest in Downtown Rangoon

About a dozen Burmese activists staged a demonstration in downtown Rangoon o­n Thursday, calling o­n the government to do something to correct the country’s economic and social crisis and eliminate corruption. o­nlookers joined in the protest. Riot police stepped in and arrested at least two people.

The demonstrators, calling themselves the Myanmar Development Committee, held up placards and distributed a statement calling for government action.

The statement, addressed to the junta leader Snr-Gen Than Shwe, said the country is facing a deteriorating situation, with economic hardship and social crisis, skyrocketing commodity prices and rampant corruption.

“Civil rights of the people are totally in the hand of the (ruling) State Peace and Development Council,” the statement said. “On behalf of the people of Burma, we would like to recommend you, the Senior General, with all due respect to correct [that].”

“They were cheered by o­nlookers,” an eyewitness told The Irrawaddy.

The demonstrators marched around the Sule Pagoda in central Rangoon, and were then challenged by the riot police, according to a demonstrator.

Anti-government rallies are rare in Burma. The authorities rapidly suppress any show of public protest, fearing a wider outbreak of unrest. A nationwide pro-democracy uprising took place in 1988, forcing the then ruling dictator Gen Ne Win to step down.

In late January, pro-government demonstrations were held outside the US and British embassies in Rangoon, denouncing the two countries’ efforts to get a resolution condemning the military junta adopted by the UN Security Council.

Similar demonstrations took place in Tokyo last week, where about 25 members called o­n the US and British governments not to interfere in Burma’s “internal affairs.”