PROTESTS CONTINUE: DIVERGING REPORTS ON VICTIMS

MYANMAR Minsa; The demonstrations continue in Myanmar (ex-Burma), where based on the little and confusing information in circulation, also today security forces are intervening to disperse the protesters. According to international sources, the police and military have sealed off the centre of Yangon with barbed-wire barricades and blocked monasteries to impede the Buddhist monks from continuing the peaceful processions of the past days. The soldiers charged groups of demonstrators - fewer in respect to the past days " that are mainly students gathered in the area of the Sule pagoda. As in the past days, trucks with loudspeakers continue to warn the people to not join the protests, threatening punishments.

The blackout of some sites of local servers appears to confirm the news of a cut in public Internet access by Myanmar authorities. There are also problems with phone lines, given that despite repeated attempts MISNA this morning was not able to contact the local sources that in the past days had attempted to provide independent information on the developments. According to the government, nine people were killed in clashes between protesters and security forces yesterday, including a Japanese photo-reporter, while other sources say that the toll was higher.

It is however impossible for the moment to have a clear picture of what is occurring from the news and footage emerging so far. “They are undoubtedly unusual demonstrations and have never been of these proportions in twenty years. But with the government crackdown on internet and phone connections, any information emerging from Myanmar at this time needs verification”, said to MISNA a local source, who requested anonymity. Meanwhile, Myanmar nationals have held protests outside their embassies in Manila, Jakarta, Bangkok and Taiwan. [BO]

Source by Misna