Burmese women in India condemn junta

"It is unforgivable that they (Burmese junta) have been arresting and inhumanly torturing student leaders,  monks, women activists and others, demonstrating peacefully for a roll back of petroleum prices  and that of essential commodities," said Phyo Phyo Kyaing, a Burmese woman involved in organizing the rally In New Delhi.

"Do they still have a mind to identify between true and the false? Phyo Phyo Kyaing asked.  The junta's thugs hit and disrobed monks, whom the people in Burma hold in high respect," she added.

The rallyists in India urged all the people in Burma to take to the streets and demand justice, democracy and freedom.

In a press release on September 7, Burmese women called on China, Russian, India and all Asian countries not to provide any assistance to the military junta which has been continuously committing human rights abuses in Burma.

"We call on the UN and the international community to take serious action on the Burmese regime, so we can bring down the dictatorship," Za Dim Sung, a Chin woman from the Chin National League for Democracy (Exile), who also led the demonstration, said.

The women activists also appealed to Mrs. Pratibha Devisingh Patil, President of India, and Mrs. Sonia Gandhi, President of the Indian National Congress to mount pressure on the junta to release Aung San Suu Kyi and other detained pro-democracy women activists.

The protests over the fuel price hike that triggered a rise in prices of essential commodities has been spreading to many cities across Burma since August 19.

Yesterday, around 500 monks set fire to four government vehicles and detained 13 government officials who forcibly entered a monastery in Pakokku town, about 500 kilometers north of Rangoon, because monks were tortured and detained by soldiers and hired plain-clothes thugs from the USDA and Swan Arrshin.

A rumour spread that one of the detained monks was beaten to death by Burmese soldiers and junta thugs.  

The monks from Pakokku released all detained officials after the junta released three detained monks. The monks also set fire to two houses belonging to USDA and Swan Arrshin members in Pakokku last night.    

So far, over a hundred demonstrators including prominent student leaders Min Ko Naing and Ko Ko Kyi have been detained by the junta.

US President George Bush has called on world leaders in the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Sydney to pressurize the Burmese junta to stop arresting, harassing, assaulting pro-democracy activists for organizing or being involved in peaceful demonstrations and to free all political prisoners in Burma.