Yangon residents continue protests

YANGON – Residents of Myanmar’s biggest city, Yangon, are keeping up a low-key resistance against the country’s military regime, harassing soldiers by tossing rocks at them at night, student activists said yesterday.

Security forces have responded to the activities, which have taken place over the past two to three days, by detaining the rock throwers they catch after curfew, they said. In some cases, members of the families of those detained – including children – have also been detained, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of arrest.No figures were available on the number of people engaging in such activities or how many may have been detained.The reported new arrests came as the government has been announcing numbers of those arrested and released in connection with the anti-government protests of the past few weeks.Myanmar authorities said weapons had been seized from Buddhist monasteries and announced dozens of new arrests, defying global outrage over their violent repression of protestors who sought an end to 45 years of military dictatorship.Recent raids on monasteries turned up 18 knives, one ax, slingshots and one 9mm bullet, though it was not yet clear to whom they belonged, according to state-run The New Light of Myanmar newspaper yesterday.The government threatened to punish any monks that violate the law, stepping up pressure on clerics who led the protests.In a commentary, the newspaper stressed that those arrested during the unrest would be treated as criminals .”Supporters of the protest who claim themselves pro-democracy activists will not be pardoned if they break the law, as no man is above the law,” the paper said on its comments page.”Those who are found guilty of breaking the law will be imprisoned.”State media including the New Light of Myanmar newspaper are only propaganda organs and not taken seriously in Myanmar, said Soe Aung, a spokesman for the National Council of the Union of Burma, a coalition of opposition groups based inThailand.Nampa-APIn some cases, members of the families of those detained – including children – have also been detained, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of arrest.No figures were available on the number of people engaging in such activities or how many may have been detained.The reported new arrests came as the government has been announcing numbers of those arrested and released in connection with the anti-government protests of the past few weeks.Myanmar authorities said weapons had been seized from Buddhist monasteries and announced dozens of new arrests, defying global outrage over their violent repression of protestors who sought an end to 45 years of military dictatorship.Recent raids on monasteries turned up 18 knives, one ax, slingshots and one 9mm bullet, though it was not yet clear to whom they belonged, according to state-run The New Light of Myanmar newspaper yesterday.The government threatened to punish any monks that violate the law, stepping up pressure on clerics who led the protests.In a commentary, the newspaper stressed that those arrested during the unrest would be treated as criminals .”Supporters of the protest who claim themselves pro-democracy activists will not be pardoned if they break the law, as no man is above the law,” the paper said on its comments page.”Those who are found guilty of breaking the law will be imprisoned.”State media including the New Light of Myanmar newspaper are only propaganda organs and not taken seriously in Myanmar, said Soe Aung, a spokesman for the National Council of the Union of Burma, a coalition of opposition groups based inThailand.Nampa-AP