Arrests took place in Mandalay, Myanmar's second largest city. The demonstrators demanded "a public apology" from the police, the protagonist of the raid against Buddhist monks and citizens opposed to a Chinese-Burmese mine. Student movement confirms the blitz and adds:, "there has been no news” about four people.

Yangon (AsiaNews / Agencies) - The authorities have announced a new wave of arrests, which hit protesters who  took to the streets in recent days to ask for "a public apology" from the police, the who led raids against monks and citizens opposed to the Chinese -Burmese copper mine (see AsiaNews 01/12/2012 Catholic activist: the violence against the monks is the "true face" of the Burmese change). Recently in all Myanmar public protests were held against the raids by the police, during which a hundred Buddhist monks were seriously wounded, with deep burns to the skin because of the use of a " mysterious" gas.  Official sources confirm that "some activists were taken to be subjected to interrogation."

The police operations were conducted mainly in Mandalay, the second largest city of Myanmar. Those arrested had staged public protests "without authorization." The arrests were confirmed by  All Burma Federation of Student movement Unions, who joined the demonstrations, according to whom police took "eight" people and, "there has been no news" of four of them.

On 12 December last, once again hundreds of monks, activists and citizens marched across the nation against the police raid at the end of November. This is the most important repression of peaceful dissent made by the authorities, since the rise to power of the reformist government led by President Thein Sein, a former leading figure in the Burmese military junta in office since 2011. Last week, the Minister of Religious Affairs Myint Maung has offered an apology - on behalf of the executive - to the leader of Burmese Buddhism.

The copper mine is located not far from the town of Monywa, Sagaing region in the center of Myanmar and is the largest in the country. The quarry is owned by the Myanmar Wanabo Copper Mining - the state-owned Chinese giant China North Industries Corp. (Norinco) - and operates in partnership with the Burmese Ministry of Mines and industry close to the military leadership. Since June has been the scene of demonstrations by citizens and unresolved conflicts related to environmental pollution, forced seizure of land, compensation and resettlement of the displaced.

On November 29, the riot police intervened to quell the protests, injuring a number of farmers and monks, some of whom have reported burns due to the use of a "mysterious gas", which resulted in burns to the skin (see AsiaNews 29/11 / 2012 Riot police disperse a protest against a Sino-Burmese mine). The raid sparked indignation and resentment among the Burmese, who see the monks as "guardians" of the tradition and history of Myanmar. The Buddhist monks have indeed played a major role during the riots of 1988 and the Saffron Revolution of 2007, as staunch defenders of the rights and interests of the population.

• MYANMAR
• monks
• protest
• police
• raid
• arrest
• demicracy
• human
• rights
• mine