_ reported by Nay Thwin

25.08.207

Ko Htin Kyaw

Myanmar’s military government arrested two prominent activists Saturday in the capital Yangon as they were about to protest against rising prices.

The arrest of Ko Htin Kyaw, the leader of a small but vigorous protest group, comes the same day as local newspapers slammed anti- government protests as the work of slick enemies of the nation.

Htin Kyaw, the leader of the Myanmar Development Committee, and Zaw Nyunt were hustled into custody in the centre of the capital as they attempted to don aprons painted with the slogans ‘Don’t raise commodity prices.’

The duo, dressed in the blue uniforms and yellow helmets of state oil workers, were seized at 1 pm and driven to Yangon’s notorious Insein jail 30 minutes later.

24.08.207

On Friday military authorities arrested more than 10 activists in front of Yangon City Hall before they could launch any action.

23.08.2007

Nearly 50 pro-democracy protesters launched a new rally Thursday, 23.08.2007, against hyper inflations in Burma induced by military government’s fuel price hikes.

Most of the protesters were members of National League for Democracy (NLD), the main pro-democracy party founded by Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi; NLD won landslide victory in the last election in Burma, the results of which have been totally ignored by ruling illegitimate military regime.

Just five minutes after the protesters began their march, a group of about 20 supporters of Myanmar’s ruling junta blocked their path. The two sides began shouting at each other in a tense standoff, and about 10 protesters were loaded into a truck and driven away. The remaining protesters sat on the pavement and silently formed a human chain to resist arrest. About 100 onlookers gathered to watch the standoff near downtown Yangon.

Demonstration also happened in the oil-producing town of Yaynang Chaung in central Burma to protest the fuel price hikes.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday that he is following events in Myanmar with concern following reports of arrests of student leaders and others by the authorities in the South-East Asian nation.