Myanmar to allow street protests

YANGON, 6 December 2011: Myanmar’s president has formally approved a bill allowing citizens to protest peacefully if they have permission, state media reported over the weekend, in one of a series of reformist moves by the regime.

The bill, signed by the President Thein Sein on Friday, requires that demonstrators inform the authorities five days in advance of when, where and why they wish to protest, according to the official Myanmar Ahlin newspaper.

The law was passed last month by a parliament dominated by Thein Sein’s party and its military allies, making his final approval a mere formality. Read more

Cyber attacks shut media sites

BANGKOK, 28 September 2010 – Leading Myanmar exile media organisations said their websites had been crippled by cyber attacks Monday on the third anniversary of a crackdown on the “Saffron Revolution” monk-led protests.

The Internet sites of the Democratic Voice of Burma, the Irrawaddy Magazine and the Mizzima news service were overwhelmed by a flood of incoming messages known as a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack.

“All the fingers are pointing at the regime and regime-hired mercenary hackers – these are the people who are behind the attack I’m sure,” Irrawaddy founder and editor, Aung Zaw, told AFP.

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Berry pickers ticked off over treatment

STOCKHOLM, 10 August 2010 – Around 120 seasonal berry pickers from Vietnam staged two demonstrations against their working conditions in Sweden on Tuesday, days after a similar protest by Chinese workers, officials said.

In one of the demonstrations, some 70 berry pickers locked six of their team leaders in a room at the former school where they were living.

“Six of them were locked in, they were Vietnamese foremen, and in addition to being locked in, they were beaten up and two of the six were tied up,” Hans-Aake Hedin of the Dalarna county police told AFP.

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Military moves on red camp

BANGKOK, May 19, 2010  – At least five Thai anti-government protesters have been shot and wounded in a military offensive that started in early hours of this morning , hospital authorities reported.

“Two wounded protesters are being operated on now, the first was shot in the chest and second was shot in the abdomen. The doctors are trying to save their lives,” Police Hospital director Jongjet Aoajenpong told AFP. He said the other three were discharged after receiving medical treatment. Read more

Public transport shut down

BTS Skytrain, MRT and most downtown bus services have stopped due to safety concerns, while the government ordered all schools closed the entire week.

Today (17 May) Thai Traffic Police reports the following roads are closed: Sukhumvit to Nana Intersection; Ploenchit to Ratchaprasong; Wireless Intersection-Rama IV to Wireless Intersection-Petchaburi; Ratchadamri Road from Sala Daeng Intersection to Pratunam Intersection; Ratchaparop Road from Pratunam Intersection to Din Daeng Intersection; Din Daeng from Din Daeng Church to Din Daeng Intersection underneath the expressway; Ratchavithi from Din Daeng Intersection to Victory Monument; Chitlom from Chidlom-Petchaburi Intersection to Chitlom-Ploenchit Intersection; Rama IV from Klongtoey Intersection to Sapan Leung Bridge; north Sathorn from Narinthorn Intersection to Wireless Intersection; Silom Road from Nararom Intersection to Sala Daeng Intersection; Petchaburi from Asok-Petchaburi Intersection to Ratchathevi Intersection.

Yesterday the Centre for the Resolution of Emergency Situations also declared the Phetchaburi Expressway intersection on Petchaburi Road and from the Ratchathewi intersection to Sam Yan Intersection on Phaya Thai Road no entry zones.

Dusit Thani under attack

The first assault on a Bangkok hotel was reported, earlier today, as the Dusit Thani Hotel came under gun fire and a M79 grenade attack.

About 100 guests were evacuated to hotel basement while hotel security team checked floors for damage or fire. It suffered some structural damage and the hotel subsequently announced it would close operations.

A Reuter photographer reported heavy fighting overnight at the luxury Dusit Thani Hotel in the Silom area, right opposite one of the barricades set up by the “red shirt” protesters. Read more

Troop seal off Sukhumvit Road

Troops on Monday sealed off part Sukhumvit Road, extending their blockade of the red shirt protest site to just past the express exit at Ploenchit.

Razor wire and trucks blocked part of the road near Soi Nana a well-known red-light district mainly frequented by foreign travellers. About 100 soldiers carrying riot shields stood in formation, blocking the road in one direction.

Authorities late last week launched an operation to squeeze thousands of Red Shirt anti-government protesters encamped for weeks in an upscale retail and hotel district. Troops were deployed to seal access to several kilometres of roads around the camp. Authorities also said they had cut utilities to the area. Read more

Bangkok battles claim 35 lives

Bangkok authorities confirmed 35 fatalities and 244 injuries during violent clashes between troops and red shirt protesters from last Friday through to early this morning, Monday 17 May.

According to the Emergency Medical Institute of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) or Erawan Centre, of those injured from 14 to 16 May, 85 had minor injuries and were hospitalized in 34 hospitals located in the capital city, while 13 were being treated in ICUs, while 146 people have already returned home. Read more

Buddhist monks pray for peace

Monks gather to pray for peace at the city’s Victory monument not far from mob violence around Din Daeng.

At a monument to a conflict that took place decades ago, hundreds of Buddhist monks prayed for an end to the modern urban warfare being waged around them in the Thai capital.

The Buddhist association that invited the monks to Bangkok’s Victory Monument had a message for Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva — stop the army killing “innocent people.”

An emergency vehicle raced past, siren wailing, as about 400 monks clad in orange and brown robes gathered at the city landmark on the edge of the Ratchaprarop district on Sunday evening. Read more

Military checkpoints in the city

Police and military officers have set up six checkpoints around Ratchaprasong, late yesterday, in order to search for weapons that might be smuggled into the red shirts’ protest site.

The action followed an announcement of the Centre for the Resolution of the Emergency Situation spokesperson, Col Sansern Kaewkamnerd, earlier in the week.

The military checkpoints are at Sala Daeng Intersection, Phayathai Intersection, Pongpraram Intersection, Naradhivas-Silom Intersection, Henry Dunant Intersection and Asoke Montri Intersection. Roads are not closed except where red shirt barriers span intersections close to Ratchaprasong district. 

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