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Activists in Myanmar march
during a protest in the northern outskirts of the
capital Yangon |
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YANGON: A week after Myanmar's military government cracked
down on peaceful protests against soaring fuel costs here,
residents now live in fear, with few daring to venture out into
a city swarming with plainclothes police.
The streets of Yangon were nearly deserted on Sunday, with most
markets closed and barely any passengers waiting at the usually
crowded bus stops in the country's commercial capital.
"People are too afraid to go out after the protests," said one
banana vendor in his 50s, adding he had had far fewer customers
in the past week since demonstrators took to the streets over a
massive hike in fuel prices.
Myanmar, under military rule since 1962, tolerates little public
dissent, but analysts say the regime has been shaken by the
persistence of the protesters, who rallied four times in a week
despite stepped-up police action.
Dozens of people have already been arrested including some of
the country's most prominent pro-democracy activists. Some of
them were hauled off with the help of plainclothes police and
pro-military mobs.
Security officials, some disguised as street-sweepers, were seen
everywhere in Yangon, especially at markets, pagodas, office
buildings and Yangon City Hall, where more than 20 plainclothes
police stood guard Sunday.
For one Yangon taxi driver, the presence of the security forces
was enough to keep him from attending future demonstrations.
"For ordinary people like myself, living is more important than
politics. Most people think nothing can change our government's
mind. What can we do? We don't have weapons. This is just our
fate," said the man in his 50s.
Among those who have been detained is Min Ko Naing, who is
considered Myanmar's most prominent pro-democracy leader after
detained opposition leader and Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu
Kyi.
Min Ko Naing was arrested along with 12 activists for leading
about 500 protesters in a peaceful march in Yangon last Sunday
-- the biggest anti-government rally here in at least nine
years.
They were sent to Myanmar's notorious Insein prison in northern
Yangon, home to some of the nation's estimated 1,100 political
prisoners. International rights groups have alleged abuse and
torture are rampant at the prison.
Myanmar's state media has said only that authorities were
interrogating Min Ko Naing and the 12 others and that the
military government would take legal action against them.
The 13 were members of the pro-democracy 88 Generation Students
group, which is made up of former student leaders who led an
uprising against military rule in 1988.
That uprising, which initially began as a protest over Myanmar's
harsh economic conditions, ended with soldiers firing into a
crowd of students, killing hundreds if not thousands.
One Asian diplomat in Yangon said residents still remembered the
horror of the 1988 uprising, and that fear would keep them from
fighting the generals, despite the economic hardships faced by
most people here.
"People are simply too scared of the authorities," said the
diplomat, who declined to be named.
A senior member of Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party, the
National League for Democracy, agreed, saying: "Most people are
so scared of authorities, and they don't want to risk their
lives."
A Yangon businessman in his 30s said he felt hopeless.
"I don't want to participate in the protests. If I do, my career
and my life will be in trouble," he said.
"There is nothing we can do against the government. Authorities
have power. They can do anything." - AFP/ac
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_asiapacific/view/296178/1/.html |
