By Larry Jagan
Bangkok Post – Tuesday April 29, 2008

Sporadic street protests erupted in several Burmese cities over the weekend. Says a Burmese businessman: “The country is a social volcano ready to erupt.”

Sporadic street protests erupted in several Burmese cities over the weekend, as people prepare to go to the polls in May to vote on a new constitution. More than 50 demonstrators, led by some 20 saffron-clad monks, tried to make their way to the country’s famous Shwegadon Pagoda in Rangoon on Saturday. Police prevented them from entering the temple and quickly herded them away.

The Burmese authorities have prohibited Buddhist monks from entering the historic pagoda precincts since the massive protests last September. Many other monks who planned to join the procession were detained while traveling on buses from the suburbs and other neighbouring cities to the protest.

There was another small protest at Rangoon ’s Tamwe Bazaar. More than a hundred protesters also took to the streets in Sittwe, the capital of the predominantly Muslim province of Arakan in western Burma. There were also unconfirmed reports of small demonstrations in several other cities over the weekend.

Security forces are guarding most of Rangoon’s monasteries, preventing monks leaving or entering the buildings.

This is the first signs of unrest since last years’ Saffron Revolution was brutally suppressed. “More protests are expected in the coming days as the anger against the regime is rising,” said Khin Ohnmar, a Chiang Mai-based activist with close links to the protest organisers.

The protests have been triggered in part by the government’s planned referendum on May 10, and are certain to grow in the coming days before the poll.

The military regime is obviously nervous about the vote and is carefully orchestrating the referendum results. It is certain to announce that an overwhelming majority of the country has endorsed the charter, which will effectively allow the army to retain political control of the country for decades to come.

But there are growing signs that many in the electorate may in fact reject the constitution, although the authorities will undoubtedly manipulate the count.