Junta Monitors Activists, Supporters in Burma

urmese authorities are closely watching pro-democracy activists and their supporters following a week of sporadic demonstrations against a sharp rise in fuel and commodity prices, according to opposition sources in the country.

Khin Saw Htay, a member of the National League for Democracy in Yenanchaung Township, Magwe Division, told The Irrawaddy on Sunday that local authorities have warned that anyone attempting to launch a public protest could be confronted and attacked by the security forces.

The NLD member added that she and other party members have been warned not to gather in groups of more than five. Other members have said recently that their telephone lines have been cut.
 
Despite the warnings, Khin Saw Htay and nearly a dozen others staged a protest early Sunday morning, in which demonstrators split into groups of five members each and marched through Yenanchaung. Local authorities followed the groups as they moved through the city.

A resident of Yenanchaung Township said authorities are now on standby to crack down on any future protests. on Saturday, nearly 100 local police and members of the pseudo-social pro-government group the Union Solidarity and Development Association were deployed throughout the city waiting for protesters to gather.

In Pwinbyu, Magwe Division, pro-democracy supporters, including members of the NLD, are being closely watched by local authorities, residents in the area said.

“All NLD members and supporters are being watched in every area,” said the resident in Pwinbyu, who added that he had been banned from traveling outside the city on Saturday.

Burmese authorities have stepped up surveillance on NLD members in major cities across the country, while party members in Chauk in Magwe Division have been warned not to leave their headquarters after 10 p.m., according to local residents.