Burmese activists arrested for demonstrating against violence towards monks
Yangon (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The authorities have
announced a new wave of arrests, which hit protesters who took to the streets in recent days to ask for
"a public apology" from the police, the who led raids against monks
and citizens opposed to the Chinese -Burmese
copper mine (see AsiaNews 01/12/2012 Catholic
activist: the violence against the monks is the "true face" of the
Burmese change). Recently
in all Myanmar public protests were held against the raids by the police,
during which a hundred Buddhist monks were seriously wounded, with deep burns to
the skin because of the use of a " mysterious"
gas. Official
sources confirm that "some activists were taken to be subjected to
interrogation."
The
police operations were conducted mainly in Mandalay, the second largest city of
Myanmar. Those
arrested had staged public protests "without authorization." The
arrests were confirmed by All Burma Federation of Student movement
Unions, who joined the demonstrations, according to whom police took "eight"
people and, "there has been no news" of four of them.
On
12 December last, once again hundreds of monks, activists and citizens marched
across the nation against the police raid at the end of November. This
is the most important repression of peaceful dissent made by the authorities, since
the rise to power of the reformist government led by President Thein Sein, a
former leading figure in the Burmese military junta in office since 2011. Last
week, the Minister of Religious Affairs Myint Maung has offered an apology - on
behalf of the executive - to the leader of Burmese Buddhism.
The
copper mine is located not far from the town of Monywa, Sagaing region in the
center of Myanmar and is the largest in the country. The
quarry is owned by the Myanmar Wanabo Copper Mining - the state-owned Chinese giant
China North Industries Corp. (Norinco) - and operates in partnership with the
Burmese Ministry of Mines and industry close to the military leadership. Since
June has been the scene of demonstrations by citizens and unresolved conflicts
related to environmental pollution, forced seizure of land, compensation and
resettlement of the displaced.
On
November 29, the riot police intervened to quell the protests, injuring a
number of farmers and monks, some of whom have reported burns due to the use of
a "mysterious gas", which resulted in burns to the skin (see AsiaNews
29/11 / 2012
Riot
police disperse a protest against a Sino-Burmese mine). The
raid sparked indignation and resentment among the Burmese, who see the monks as
"guardians" of the tradition and history of Myanmar. The
Buddhist monks have indeed played a major role during the riots of 1988 and the
Saffron Revolution of 2007, as staunch defenders of the rights and interests of
the population.
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01/12/2012
27/12/2016 10:16
