20 student leaders arrested in Myanmar: activist
AFP – 11 hrs ago
The
detentions raise questions about the true extent of Myanmar's reforms
since it dropped outright military rule last year in favour of a
quasi-civilian government led by reformist president Thein Sein.
Five student leaders were held in Yangon and others were taken in for questioning by police in three other locations across the country, according to an activist.
"Apart
from those five arrested in Yangon... five student activists (were
arrested) in Shwebo, six in Mandalay, four in Lashio," Thet Zaw, one of
the leaders of a student uprising in 1988 that was brutally suppressed,
told AFP.
Kyo
Kyo Gyi, another veteran of that uprising -- known as Generation '88 --
said the five held in Yangon were "taken for no reason", adding that
"the authorities said they wanted to talk with them".
Saturday's anniversary of the bloody 1962 crackdown on students protesting against military rule in Yangon University was expected to draw veteran activists as well as younger pro-democracy supporters.
The day after the crackdown (July 8) the student union building was destroyed with dynamite by the junta while some injured students were hiding were still inside.
Ceremonies to remember the event were low key
under the junta for fear of provoking the army, but plans were underway
to hold a wider event on Saturday at the Generation '88 office.
Myanmar
has undergone a series of reforms since Thein Sein took over from a
military-ruled government, including the release of hundreds of
political prisoners and elections which propelled dozens of opposition
party members to parliament.
The international community has responded by dropping some sanctions and pledging support for Myanmar's fledgling democracy.
Opposition
leader Aung San Suu Kyi has urged caution over the reforms, despite
their fast pace, also calling on the reform-minded government to release
those still in custody from the junta era.
Lawmakers
from her National League for Democracy party are currently in
Naypyidaw, the capital city, attending a parliamentary session as they
move from the role of dissidents to the heart of political decision
making.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner, who returned last week from a triumphant tour of Europe, is due to join the session on Monday.
Thein
Sein has repeatedly warned of obstacles to democratic progress, but has
focused on ethnic conflicts and the recent deadly communal violence in
western Rakhine state.
No comments:
Post a Comment