Wednesday September 26, 2007

Myanmar military rulers impose curfew, ban assembly in 2 cities after more large protests

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - Soldiers and police patrolled monasteries and other flashpoints of anti-government protests Wednesday after Myanmar's junta imposed a nighttime curfew and banned public gatherings to quell mounting demonstrations.

A comedian famed for his anti-government jibes became the first well-known activist rounded up after the curfew imposed Tuesday, following the largest street protests against the country's military rulers in nearly two decades.

Zargana, who uses only one name, was taken away from his home by authorities shortly after midnight. Zargana, along with actor Kyaw Thu and poet Aung Way, led a committee that provided food and other necessities to the Buddhist monks who have spearheaded the protests.

The fates of the actor and poet were not immediately known.

Myanmar's leaders warned monks to stop the protests after some 100,000 people joined marches in the country's biggest city, Yangon, on Monday in the largest anti-government demonstrations since a failed 1988 pro-democracy uprising.

The junta then imposed the curfew and the ban on gatherings of more than five people, after 35,000 people _ barefoot monks in maroon robes and their supporters _ defied the warnings to stage another day of protests Tuesday.

The junta has not used force so far to stop the demonstrations. But soldiers in full battle gear were deployed Tuesday in Yangon, setting the stage for a showdown with a determined pro-democracy protest movement.

If the military responds to new protests with force, it could further alienate already isolated Myanmar from the international community. It would almost certainly put pressure on Myanmar's top economic and diplomatic supporter, China, which is keen to burnish its international image before next year's Olympics in Beijing.

If monks who are leading the protests are mistreated, that could outrage the predominantly Buddhist country, where clerics are revered. But if the junta backs down, it risks appearing weak and emboldening protesters, which could escalate the tension.

When faced with a similar crisis in 1988, the government harshly put down a student-led democracy uprising. Security forces fired into crowds of peaceful demonstrators and killed thousands, traumatizing the nation.

Authorities cruised the streets of Yangon and Mandalay on Tuesday to announce the ban on gatherings and 9 p.m.-to-5 a.m. curfew through loudspeakers, saying the measures would be in effect for 60 days.

Military trucks rumbled through the streets of both cities late into the night, witnesses said.

The potential for a violent crackdown has aroused international concern, with pleas for the junta to deal peacefully with the situation coming from government and religious leaders worldwide. They included the Dalai Lama and South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu, both Nobel Peace Prize laureates like detained Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

U.S. President George W. Bush announced new U.S. sanctions against Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, accusing the military dictatorship of imposing "a 19-year reign of fear'' that denies basic freedoms of speech, assembly and worship.

"Americans are outraged by the situation in Burma,'' Bush said in an address Tuesday to the U.N. General Assembly in New York. Bush said the U.S. would tighten economic sanctions on leaders of the regime and their financial backers, and impose an expanded visa ban on those responsible for human rights violations and their families. The European Union also threatened to strengthen existing sanctions against the regime if it uses violence to put down the demonstrations.

Britain's ambassador to Myanmar, Mark Canning, met Tuesday with some of Myanmar's leaders, urging continued restraint.

Canning said he told ministers that "demonstrations have been peaceful and well-disciplined.''

"It will be disastrous in the eyes of the world on Myanmar if the authorities use force,'' he told them, saying that they assured him the situation would be handled with caution. - AP

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