Burma cracks down as fuel protests gather pace

At least eight Burmese pro-democracy activists were seized on the streets of Rangoon on Aug. 22 as armed police and supporters of the junta intervened to disperse hundreds of demonstrators protesting at a dramatic hike in fuel prices and growing economic hardship. Around 300 marchers walked from the commercial capital's outskirts as thousands -- some cheering -- looked on. The latest in a growing series of protests came hours after 13 leading activists, including the senior leadership of the 88 Student Generation group, were arrested in the most serious clamp down by the Burmese junta in a decade. Houses of the group's leadership were searched and documents removed in the night raids. Official Burmese media reported that the activists could face jail terms of 20 years. The attempt to head off the growing protest movement against Burma's dire economic situation reflects the junta's fears that the unrest could mushroom and match the 1988 protests, in which the army killed hundreds of students. On Aug. 19, 400 demonstrators marched through Rangoon to express their anger at the surprise increase in fuel prices a week ago. Natural gas prices rose by 500% while petrol and diesel almost doubled, forcing a huge rise in public transport fares. The fare rise hit poor laborers particularly hard, swallowing up to half their daily income. Other prices have begun to increase as a result, fueling an inflation rate of around 40%. No explanation was given for the price rises. But analysts believe the junta's order for ministries to boost revenues was down both to economic mismanagement and the crippling $1 billion construction bill for the new capital. Anger over the economic situation has been growing, with a number of small protests taking place since February despite the risk of torture and imprisonment. A new group, the Myanmar Development Committee, concerned solely with the economy rather than democratic freedoms, has emerged. Three of its leaders were among those seized in the raids, along with five student activists. The seven people seized from the 88 Student Generation group represent perhaps the regime's greatest concern because they appeared to be uniting the disparate opposition. Sunai Thasuk, a Burma consultant for Human Rights Watch, believes the economic crisis matches that of two decades ago. "The conditions that led to the crackdown in 1988 are very similar to those now," he said. "We've got hyper-inflation but the people continue to be robbed by the regime. People are extremely angry. Potentially we could see a chain reaction. That's why we've seen this very harsh reaction against the leaders."