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AFP-Anxiety, fear in Myanmar on eve



Reply-To: "TIN KYI" <tinkyi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: AFP-Anxiety, fear in Myanmar on eve of uprising

Anxiety, fear in Myanmar on eve of uprising

YANGON, Sept 8 (AFP) - The people of Myanmar are torn by an agonising mix of
hope, apathy and anxiety on the eve of a planned uprising by dissidents,
residents said here Wednesday.
Few observers expect a campaign of civil disobedience planned for Thursday
will match activists' hopes for an uprising against decades of strict
military rule.

But many concede that plans for unrest on 9/9/99, which have triggered a
government security crackdown, have shrouded the capital in uncertainty.

"There is a general feeling of hope mixed at the same time with apathy and
worry -- its a real Burmese mixture," a Yangon-based diplomat told AFP.

"All of the locals are worried, I think they will stay at home on Thursday
and look after their children."

"There is a little bit of anxiety over possible demonstrations, it will not
be a time to walk about in the streets, shops will be closed."

Most foreign observers are sceptical that any disturbances will match the
demonstrations on August 8, 1988, (8/8/88) when students led mass street
protests which turned into a bloodbath when troops shot hundreds dead.

"There may be some small groups in "hit and run" demonstrations but I don't
think we will see anything spectacular -- I don't detect a general desire
among people to be out there, they are not saying 'It's now or never," said
one.

Planned action includes a general strike, civil disobedience and a boycott
of media controlled by the junta, which refuses to cede power to the
democratic opposition of Aung San Suu Kyi.

Authorities have warned they will mete out tough treatment to unruly
dissidents and "subversives."

Sources said rumours were circulating in the capital that students will try
to hold 'cat and mouse' demonstrations to frustrate security efforts in the
suburbs.

Another diplomat said the streets of Yangon were busy as usual Wednesday
with little anticipation evident.

Some residents have told AFP they are hoping for no new disruption to lives
already marred by a barely functioning economy and the strains of life under
the uncompromising junta.

Demonstrators are also likely to be deterred by the ubiquitous military
intelligence, one resident said, recalling days a decade ago when students
could hold up placards and disappear into crowds to escape capture.

"It appears that the 'Big Brother Watches You' syndrome is quite pervasive
and no one dares to be seen as supportive."

There have been reports of some small-scale demonstrations in the streets of
the capital, notably on Tuesday when British woman protestor Rachel Goldwyn
was hauled away by military intelligence for singing democracy songs,
dissident sources said.

Despite claiming a victory because the planned uprising has inconvenienced
security authorities, even exiles desperate for revolution admit large-scale
demonstrations are unlikely.

"People have to face the situation everyday and are scared, but some of them
will still dare to do something," Aung Thu Nyein, general secretary of the
Thailand-based All Burma Students Democratic Front told AFP Tuesday.

One analyst in Yangon, where sources habitually request anonymity, said the
current situation differs from 1988 when students exploited a power vacuum
left by the retirement of dictator General Ne Win.

"We are now under a military government whose priority is security above
everything else," he said.