Protests in Burma

Our semester-long project about the current level of press freedom in Burma is focused on a series of protests called the Saffron Revolution which happened in the fall of 2007. Thousands of citizens and reporters were arrested and some were even killed.

On Friday, March 20, at least 20 people in Twante Township in Rangoon protested against the cyclone reconstruction committee because they claimed that the reconstruction fees were not used appropriately within their village. They marched four miles to the committee's office demanding the reconstruction of their homes which were destroyed in Cyclone Nargis of 2008. The protesters reportedly dispersed around 5 PM on Friday after the committee claimed that it would look into their problems.

This news shows that the people of Burma are passionate about their rights. It is interesting to see that people refuse to be silenced by the military junta which is known for its brutal crackdown on the protesters of the Saffron Revolution. According to the Mizzima, there was no violence during the protests and the protesters returned to their homes.

- Sarah Popovich (Burma)