Police breaks up rally in Burma (Th

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Subject: Police breaks up rally in Burma (The Asian Asge, 4/12/96.)

Police breaks up rally in Burma 
Students arrested, freed 
 
Rangoon, Dec. 3: Riot police dispersed hundreds of 
demonstrating students outside Rangoon's holiest shrine at 
dawn on Tuesday following a night-long protest critical of the 
military regime. 
 
"The regime claimed that Political elements" had incited the 
protest, one of the largest in Burma in years, and said it so far 
had handled the demonstrators "gently." 
 
An unknown number of demonstrating students were being 
detained at a former race track, but a regime spokesman said 
they would be "sent back to their respective campuses after 
scrutiny." 
 
About 150 heavily armed police pushed and pulled the students 
on to trucks at the southern gate of the Shwedagon pagoda, 
where they had been blocked from going any farther after a 
night of sit-ins and marching around Rangoon. 
 
Col.  Kyaw Win, deputy director of the country's powerful 
military intelligence apparatus, told a news conference the 
students were seeking redress for certain grievances. 
 
But he said the demonstration was actually sparked by political 
elements opposed to Burma's successful entry into the 
Association of Southeast Asian Nations.  He did not elaborate. 
(AP) 
 
Suu Kyi house barricaded 
 
Rangoon, Dec. 3: Security forces barred access to the home of 
prodemocracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi on Tuesday amid 
reports that 300 student demonstrators had been detained by 
the police. 
 
The checkpoints were thrown up shortly before 7 am, a source 
speaking from Ms Suu Kyi's home confirmed. 
 
Meanwhile, the Opposition All Burma Students' Democratic 
Front expressed support on Tuesday for student protesters in 
Rangoon and appealed to the international community for 
backing. 
 
In a written statement, the ABSDF urged the ruling military 
junta in Rangoon "not to resort to violence as these 
demonstrations are just and for the genuine rights of the 
students." 
 
The exiled students also asked for democratic change in Burma 
and for "tripartite dialogue with democratic forces led by Ms 
Aung San Suu Kyi and ethnic nationalities as the very first step 
of solving ... critical problems." 
 
A junta refusal to respect democratic rights and to address 
underlying problems "will result in further demonstrations rather 
than the aim of peaceful and stable education of the students," 
the ABSDF said. (AFP)