Democratic Activists Demand Government Dialogue with Opposition
The activists pasted posters carrying their demands on the entrance walls of famous Buddhist temples and monasteries, hospitals, the jetty, and markets during the night of 27 January, 2008, said one student from Taungup.
The student said that the demands they wrote on the posters read as follows: "To follow the international Human Rights Declaration adopted by the UN," "To release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners," "To stop the arrest and harassment of people against the law," and "To make a dialogue immediately with the opposition groups."
Police forces destroyed all of the posters in the early morning hours of 28 January, soon after the news of the posters began spreading among the people.
The student said that many townspeople had the chance to read the posters in the morning before the police destroyed them, and all were happy to see the posters and their demands.
Authorities in Taungup are now closely watching NLD members and other democratic activists there. Many extra police have been brought in from other townships to Taungup and have deployed to key places in town, including the monasteries and the central market.
People from Taungup had plans to stage a demonstration on 17 January, 2008, but did not get the chance to gather as authorities blocked all the streets in the town with police forces, the student said.
Unidentified democratic activists also distributed anti-government flyers on 19 January along the streets of Taungup and Kyaukpru in Arakan State, despite the heavy presence of security in the area.
The town of Taungup has played an active role in Arakan State, and many anti-government activities broke out in the town during and after the Saffron Revolution.
January 29, 2008
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