Tight security in Monywa on Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday

It is reported that the SPDC has tightened the security in Monywa, Upper Burma as there have been news that there might be some protests.

The authorities have taken the measures since yesterday and the police patrol cars have been checking the whole town today.

A local resident told the DVB as follows:

A local resident : There are some rumours today and nothing has happened.

DVB : What do you mean by rumours?

A local resident : It is Daw Suu’s birthday today and the like.

DVB : Did you hear that there might be some protests and the like?

A local resident : Yes. They have been tightened the security with the police.

DVB : So, you have seen the police and special security guards in Monywa?

A local resident : They have done that since yesterday.

DVB : Were there attempts to stage protests?

A local resident : No.

In fact, the authorities have tightened the security in Monywa since the violent assaults on May the 30th. Since the day after the incident, two army trucks have been patrolling the streets of the city and at two important locations of the town, 24 hour police guards have been placed.

Another local resident told the DVB that people have been checked since yesterday at the entrances of the town as follows:

Another local resident : Since the incident happened, the police cars and a couple of army trucks have been patrolling the streets of Monywa. The soldiers have been guarding two important places. They have been checking cars entering the town at the entrances of the town. They ask people where they come from and the like. The whole town has been watching the situation. To say honestly, people dare not do anything yet. They are just watching the situation. They have been placing quite a lot of informers.

Because of tight security measures imposed by the authorities, people in the towns of Mandalay and Sagaing Division have been quiet. In Rangoon, as the authorities have sealed off the NLD offices, the people were unable to celebrate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s birthday openly like the previous year. But at some of the houses of the NLD members, the celebrants donated religious materials and prayed for the releases of all NLD members including Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and visited the famous Shwedagon Pagoda and said prayer offered religious items for them.