By DPA
Yangon : Myanmar’s ruling junta Sunday accused democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s opposition party of being behind recent protests against fuel price hikes and warned that it will brook no more dissent in the country.
The junta’s warnings, made in two announcements publicized in the state-run media Sunday, coincided with still unconfirmed reports of countrywide arrests of National League for Democracy (NLD) members and torture of prisoners who participated in recent protests against the military.
The country’s government-controlled newspapers carried the junta’s announcement which blamed the opposition for recent demonstrations against fuel price hikes and promised “to take effective action in accordance with the existing laws” to crack down on the dissidents.
Sunday afternoon, state-run television publicized a second announcement that specifically attacked the NLD as being one of the chief organizers of protests against fuel price hikes announced Aug 15.
Myanmar, under longest running dictatorial military rule for the past 45 years, has witnessed a spate of anti-government protests since Aug 19 in response to the government’s decision to more than double diesel and petrol prices.
Unauthorized protests are illegal in Myanmar, which has been under martial law since 1988 when the entire country was rocked by anti-military demonstrations, which were in part sparked by the deteriorating economy.
Although no explanations were given at the time of fuel hikes, the government has since said that the price increases were necessary as Myanmar imports oil and has been subsidizing domestic prices for years.
At least 13 leaders of the 88 Generation Students, a dissident group committed to non-violent tactics, were arrested last month for leading anti-inflation protests in Yangon.
The government has put up “wanted” posters for a dozen other 88 Generation Students, and on Friday accused the group of involvement in past bombings in Yangon, a charge that will carry lengthy prison sentences.
The International Red Cross has had no access to political prisoners in Myanmar for several months after a falling out with authorities over government restrictions on visits.
Meanwhile, 50 more people were reportedly arrested over the weekend in various towns in central Myanmar, where Buddhist monks have led protests against the military and in one case even held officials hostage in their monastery.
In Pakokku, where the monks led a protest on Wednesday, three people have been arrested. In Bogalay, authorities reportedly arrested 15 NLD members who participated in another protest, and in Lapputta, where dissidents planned to lead a march to Yangon against fuel price hikes, 15 have been arrested, according to unconfirmed reports from opposition sources.
The NLD won 80 per cent of the contested parliamentary seats in Myanmar’s 1990 general election but has been blocked from power ever since. NLD leader Suu Kyi has been under house arrest since May 2003.