Continuing Arrests in Myanmar

Dozens of people were arrested in Yangon overnight as security forces raided homes of opposition leaders, monasteries, shrines and places where they thought the leaders of the recent anti-junta protests could be hiding. An overnight curfew was also imposed.

Reports say many monks tried to escape from Yangon to protect themselves. Some even tried to flee to Thailand. However, many think that it is not going to be easy for them to find refuge in the neighbouring country, as explained by this young monk, who has been living in a small monastery in the border city of Maesot:

"It seems that right now, hardly any monk can flee to Thailand, because the Thai authorities have closed the borders for the refugees of Myanmar."

More protests in the future?

Reports say that hundreds of monks are being held in prisons outside Yangon. Authorities have released some of them but human rights activists say many more are still languishing in prisons and that they have no idea, under what conditions they are being kept.

However, for those activists and monks who are living outside the country, the military’s crackdown will only temporarily halt civil unrest. They have pledged to continue with larger protests inside and outside the country, as one of the monks, who has been living in exile in Thailand, says:

"The protests have been stopped because the military is controlling the cities and is cracking down on any form of demonstration. But when the soldiers are withdrawn, peaceful protests will resume."

The next step

The UN special envoy Ibrahim Gambari, who met both the ruling general and the detained opposition icon Aung San Suu Kyi during his four-day trip to Myanmar, is expected to submit his report to the UN security council on Friday. According to the UN chief Ban Ki-Moon, he would then consult with members of the 15-member Security Council to weigh the international community’s next step.

Meanwhile, numerous international human rights watchdogs like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch and other supporters of the pro-democracy movement have called for a global day of protests on Saturday. Thousands of activists are expected to rally against the military regime in almost 30 countries.