Protester Detained & Role of Burma's Military in 2010 Elections

On March 27, 2009, a protester in Twate Township, Rangoon was arrested by police according to an observer (as reported in Mizzima News).

The protester, who is a private tutor named Aung Phe, was taken away by authorities after standing for over five hours outside of the National League for Democracy (NLD) office building. On-lookers reported that he did not shout or hold any signs. However, his presence was enough to elicit arrest.

This incident is just one of the numerous examples of how Burma's government (currently, the military junta) will crack down on any protesters, regardless of the level of their action. Under the threat of arrest and imprisonment, the leaders of the government are prohibiting free speech.

As the country of Burma looks ahead to the 2010 free democratic elections, the military is preparing to assist in making a "smooth transition to democracy," according to the Democratic Voice of Burma. The government's second in command, Vice-Senior General Maung Aye, spoke to graduates of the Defense Services (Army) Officers Training School in Rangoon on April 10, 2009 (as reported by the Democratic Voice of Freedom). In his remarks, Maung Aye told the audience that the government is expecting a period of instability as the country transitions to democratic leadership. In 1990, free elections were held in Burma. Although the NLD won by an overwhelming amount, the residing government (the military junta) refused to relinquish their position. Since that election, Burma's constitution has been revised but without the imput of the NLD. In addition, according to the new constitution, the head of the NLD, Aung San Suu Kyi, is prohibited from running.

The comments of General Maung Aye give us an idea of what to expect from the future 2010 election. It does not seem as if much progress has been made toward democracy since 1990 because the NLD has been eliminated from the planning of the elections and prohibited to have their leader participate. The fact that the government is preparing their troops to control the public's anticipated reaction to the elections shows us that detainments and arrests such as the one on March 27 will probably continue to happen even if and when the democratic elections take place.

~ Sarah Popovich (Group: Burma)

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)