By IANS
Moreh (India-Myanmar border) : Hundreds of exiled Myanmarese are planning a rally Oct 2 – the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi – in New Delhi to highlight the turmoil in their country.
“The rally would be to drum up international support and also to seek India’s help for direct intervention to resolve the impasse,” Kyaw Than, president of the All Burmese Students’ League, told IANS at this town in the northeastern state of Manipur.
Monks supported by thousands of people have been holding peaceful protests in Yangon, demanding democratic rights. The demonstrations have grown from several hundred people in mid-August to as many as 100,000 Sunday, led by tens of thousands of bare-foot monks in the largest and most sustained anti-government protests since 1988.
The pro-democracy movement in 1988 was crushed by the junta with an estimated 3,000 people killed. The military junta then captured power by arresting dissidents and banning political opposition with force.
“Time has now come for the international community and Buddhists across the world to support the people in Myanmar,” Than said.
Than is among 2,500 Myanmar nationals who fled to India after the military crack-down on pro-democracy leaders in 1988. He is now based in Imphal, the capital of Manipur.