Civil Servants Unhappy For Being Forced To Participate in Pro-Junta Rallies

Source: Democratic Voice of Burma

15th October 2007

Junta did not deliver the promised payout of 500 Kyats per head, said one of the civil servants who was forced to participate in a pro-junta rally in Rangoon. The source, who did not want to be named, told DVB that the participants were unhappy after the officials told them that they will only receive 400 Kyats each after deduction of bus fare, and that only at the end of the month.

“We had to get up at 3am. It pissed us off, so we just did whatever we wanted.”

The source said that even though the officials tried to control the crowd, the people refused to follow instructions. He added that the only people who were shouting pro-junta chants were town council members; the rest of the crowd kept their heads down and muttered instead that they were only there for the fee.

A Rangoon resident told DVB that public dissent was high; people were extremely peeved that the junta was organising pro-government rallies (many of which were made compulsory to civil servants and students) after a ruthless bloody crackdown on monks and protesters.

“They imposed a curfew and stop us from demonstrating peacefully. No more than 5 people in a group, they say. What they’re doing now, these rallies, aren’t they breaking their own curfew? It’s ridiculous.”

For the original article in Burmese, please follow this link: http://burmese.dvb.no/news.php?id=2439