Burmese forces on Friday intensified their suppression of peaceful pro-democracy protests as credible accounts emerged that the death toll from Thursday’s crackdown was far higher than the official figure of nine. (Source: FT)
Fears of mounting death toll in Burma
By Our International Staff
Published: September 28 2007 18:06 | Last updated: September 29 2007 00:32
Burmese forces on Friday intensified their suppression of peaceful pro-democracy protests as credible accounts emerged that the death toll from Thursday’s crackdown was far higher than the official figure of nine.
Substantially more troops were deployed on the streets of the main city Rangoon and the second city Mandalay than on previous days as authorities sealed off monasteries and pagodas.
Monks have led the protests in the past 10 days and the tactic of focusing on places of worship appeared to work. Few red-robed young men were on the streets. Troops acted swiftly to prevent crowds gathering but seemed to use less violence than on Thursday.
Diplomats said this could be because the junta, which has ruled since 1962, did not want to appear too brutal ahead of Saturday’s expected arrival of Ibrahim Gambari, a United Nations special envoy on Burma.
The junta also extended a dusk-to-dawn curfew in some areas of Rangoon and appeared to have cut internet access in a bid to prevent information reaching the outside world.
The largest crowd in Rangoon numbered only 2,000, a far cry from the tens of thousands who swarmed through the city earlier in the week. Police fired shots into the air and beat people with clubs to disperse them.
Bob Davis, Australian ambassador to Burma, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation he had heard credible reports that “several multiples of the 10 [sic] acknowledged by the authorities [were killed on Thursday].”
Khin Ohmar, head of the Thailand-based Asia-Pacific People’s Partnership on Burma, said she had heard from witnesses that “more than 100 were shot down at Tam We high school in Rangoon”. However, that number could not be confirmed.
Some Burma-watchers said differences could be emerging in the regime between General Than Shwe, the junta’s supreme leader, and Gen Muang Aye, the army commander.
Win Min, a Burma analyst based in Thailand, said: “A few commanders have complained to their friends that they don’t want to shoot into crowds. They can’t refuse the order but they don’t like it and will try to reduce the violence. Gen Muang Aye seems to disagree with the harsh treatment but there is nothing he can do about it at the moment.”
These claims could not be independently confirmed.
■ US President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown agreed on Friday to keep up international pressure on Burma’s rulers, reports Reuters. The White House on Friday condemned the military crackdown as ”barbaric.”
Mr Bush and Mr Brown spoke by video link about ”the need for countries around the world to continue to make their views clear to the junta that they need to refrain from violence and move to a peaceful transition to democracy,” White House spokesman Scott Stanzel said.
Dan Ten Kate in Bangkok and Raphael Minder in Hong Kong contributed to this report
National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma
http://www.ncgub.net/article.php/20070929132313827