Protestors arrested in Hledan

Aug 28, 2007 (DVB)—About 10 National League for Democracy members were arrested by the special police this afternoon after attempting to stage a protest near a bus stop in Rangoon’s Hledan township.

Eyewitnesses told DVB that the NLD members tried to start a protest after disembarking from separate buses between 1pm and 1:30pm but that they walked for less than 100 metres before being arrested.

“The protestors arrived at the bus stop and they started walking together,” one eyewitness said on condition of anonymity.

“They managed to walk one electricity pole away before the police and special police took them away in a Dyna truck,” the eyewitness said.

The special police and several uniformed police officers were reportedly ready for the protest before it happened, stationing up to four trucks near the bus stop and waiting until the activists had gathered and started walking before arresting them.

Reporting by Naw Say Phaw