Villagers Demonstrated Against an Arakanese Court Order

Originally appeared in Narinjara

September 27, 2013

A group of villagers have staged a protest demonstration on Thursday in front of Kyauk Pru township court in Arakan following the court passed a verdict for imprisonment of ten community leaders.

The protesters, nearly 500 villagers expressed their dissatisfaction on the court order for three months imprisonment to their leaders, said U Hla Myint Kyaw, president of Kyauk Pru social network.

Most of the villagers came from Madae Island to Kyauk Pru on Thursday to listen to the verdict relating to their ten community leaders . Soon after the verdict was pronounced, the attending villagers started the protest shouting various slogans.

The Kyauk Pru district authority had deployed extra security personnel in the court campus. The police and the Army personnel continued guarding the court until the situation got normalized.

With their protests, the villagers demanded the release of 10 community leaders unconditionally, informed U Tun Lwin, another social activist from Kyauk Pru.

The agitating villagers argued that with the community leaders, they are also responsible for protest rally against the Chinese run Shwe gas project in western Burma.

Mentionable is that around 500 villagers from four villages of Madae Island staged a demonstration on April 18 this year with valid permission from the authority against the Chinese National Petroleum Cooperation, which is operating the Shwe gas project.

The demonstrators demanded that the Chinese company and the Burmese government should address various problems aroused because of the project and faced by the villagers. Following the incident, the police officials of Kyauk Pru police station had sued the ten community leaders for their role in the demonstration against the CNPC.

The post verdict demonstration continued for many hours in front of Kyauk Pru township court on September 26 to raise voice against the order and demanded their unconditional release.

View the original article here.