Myanmar junta shows restraint despite growing protests

FE Team | Published: September 25, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

YANGON, SEPT 24 (AP): The Myanmar junta is showing unexpected restraint in the face of the country's biggest protests in two decades because of pressure from its key trading partner China, an Southeast Asian diplomat said Monday.
On Sunday, about 20,000 people including thousands of monks filled the streets in Yangon, stepping up their confrontation with authorities by chanting support for detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who stepped out to greet supporters a day earlier.
The increasingly confrontational tone of the anti-government protesters raised both expectations of possible political change and fear that the military might forcefully stamp out the demonstrations, as it did in 1988, when it suppressed a democratic uprising and killed thousands of people.
A Southeast Asian diplomat, speaking on condition anonymity citing protocol, said the regime is under pressure from China to avoid a crackdown just as its larger neighbour has pressured it to speed up other democratic changes.
"The Myanmar government is tolerating the protesters and not taking any action against the monks because of pressure from China," the diplomat told The Associated Press. "Beijing is to host the next summer's Olympic Games. Everyone knows that China is the major supporter of the junta so if government takes any action it will affect the image of China."
China, which is counting on Myanmar's vast oil and gas reserves to fuel its booming economy, earlier this year blocked a UN Security Council criticising Myanmar's rights record saying it was not the right forum.
But at the same time, it has employed quiet diplomacy and subtle public pressure on the regime, urging it to move toward inclusive democracy and speed up the process of dialogue and reform.
The protests in Myanmar began Aug. 19 as a movement against economic hardship, after the government sharply raised fuel prices, increasing the overall cost of living. Arrests and intimidation saw the movement begin to falter until last week, when monks - who have long served as the country's conscience - became the protests' vanguard.
The movement seemed to gain momentum Saturday, when more than 500 monks and sympathisers went past barricades to walk to the house where Suu Kyi is under house arrest.