Telephone lines
to Monywa reconnected
DVB (2003 June 12)
Telephone lines to Monywa which were cut off since the day
after the attacks on the NLD on the 30th of May were reconnected
by the authorities today. Despite the availability of telephone
connection, the majority of people there are reluctant to
answer questions about the incidents in Dipeyin.
Some say that they are unable to do so because they do not
know what exactly had happened to this day. One local resident
said that the situation in Monywa is back to ‘normal’
as follows:
A Monywa resident : The number of the people killed in the
assaults could be high. Some people say that the number is
very high and some say around 100. Some people believe that
it is higher than that. We don’t know the exact number.
DVB : The first group who returned to Monywa after accompanying
Daw Aung San Suu Kyi were stopped and beaten up at Ahlone,
we were told. A student was killed. It is true?
A Monywa resident : Yes. That is true.
DVB : They snatched his corpse?
A Monywa resident : Yes. It’s true.
DVB : His friends couldn’t retrieve the corpse?
A Monywa resident : No.
DVB : May I ask you another question? When the people of
Monywa heard that the NLD supporters were attacked, some of
local people destroyed the government’s propaganda signboards
and demonstrated and the like. Is the news true too?
A Monywa resident : That’s true. They destroyed all
the signboards.
DVB : And the authorities crushed the demonstrations, we
heard.
A Monywa resident : The crackdowns were done in the rural
areas. They are quite far from the town centre.
DVB : Could you tell us as far as you know about the incidents?
A Monywa resident : We don’t know anything for sure.
The government news never tells the truth. What can we do?
They encourage people not to tell the correct news. That is
not good…
DVB : They have cutting off the telephone lines for nearly
two weeks. People in Monywa town must be in trouble?
A Monywa resident : Some people if they had something important
to say, they went to Chaung-U and use the telephone there.
It was possible to do that in Chaung-U. But you had to wait
along time for the return call.
DVB : Were the businessmen there in trouble?
A Monywa resident : Yes, they were in trouble. They had to
go to Chaung – U to make phone calls. They didn’t
have much to say for less important things.
DVB : How long did the curfew last in Monywa?
A Monywa resident : It was not that severe. We were able
to stay out until 10pm-11pm. People tended to go home at 10pm.
DVB : We were told that people were barred from going out
between 8pm and 6am.
A Monywa resident : There was no restriction like that. People
were able to go out until 10pm. Teashops closed at 10pm.
DVB : After the incidents, Monya-Shwe Bo Road and Monya-Dipeyin-Ye-U
Road were closed we were told. Is that true?
A Monywa resident : That is true. They did that until four
or five days ago…
DVB : You could say that things went back to normal now in
Monywa?
A Monywa resident : You have to say that…cars are now
returning…
DVB : Are there still arrests in Monywa after the incidents?
A Monywa resident : There is none around my area as far as
I know. I don’t tend to go out.
Source: Democratic Voice of Burma, Oslo,
in Burmese 1430 gmt 12 June 03 |
