Protests bring new hope to Burmese

Hundreds of Buddhist monks have been holding peaceful anti-government marches across the country this week.

Hundreds of monks have been out on the streets

Their protests have given fresh momentum to rare public demonstrations that were sparked by fuel price hikes last month.

Here, people in Burma give their views on the growing unrest, and express their hopes for change.

SAING

I have witnessed the protests. Actually I've just followed them for a while with my car.

They're going well. The people of Burma have suffered a lot and they are excited about these protests.

But they are waiting for a good opportunity to participate. Most of them doubt the people power because they have witnessed the gun power.

People hope that the UN will intervene. This protest will lead to internal fighting between generals, which is good.

But I personally don't believe that people power can bring down the current government. Only international intervention or a U-turn of the army men will change the country.

Pray for the change if you believe in prayers.

SAMSON, STUDENT

The protests give me hope for a better future. They are a struggle for freedom.

They may cause turmoil and put Burmese people in danger, but I think people would rather face the consequences instead of living under this hopeless military regime.

We can't go on like this. The military regime... has to come to an end

Only monks have been protesting lately and not many ordinary people have joined them. I haven't joined them either.

But I think people need to join this struggle for freedom. My hope is everyone's hope - justice, liberty and equality for every Burmese. Whether the protests will bring a change is difficult to say though there's a good chance that they will.

This government is preposterous. They say that they are restoring democracy. That's a lie - the only parties they will allow are their own.

Our country is poor, yet our leaders are corrupt. And if prices stay high, our nation will get poorer and there will be a disastrous economic outcome.

We can't go on like this. The military regime that has oppressed the people of Burma for four decades has to come to an end.

RED ROSE, PHOTOGRAPHER

Our government has to change the political conditions. People don't know their rights and they struggle for survival. It is too dangerous for them to voice their protest.

Everybody wants democracy and freedom, except for the government.

We want the international community to put pressure on the government and we are very disappointed that Russia and China don't care about the plight of the ordinary Burmese people. We are angry that they interfere in our country.

I don't know much about politics, but I am sure that China must know the conditions our people live in. They don't want to help us, they want us to be poor.

Our country has so many natural and human resources yet it is still so poor because our leaders only care about being in power. I am so angry with them.

PATRICK, RANGOON

Rangoon's Shwedagon Pagoda has been a focal point of protests

The Burmese people are afraid and they don't dare protest because they know that the junta will cruelly suppress them.

The sons of Buddha couldn't tolerate the situation anymore and have taken up a frontline role because the junta cannot touch monks.

The fuel price rise is not a sufficient cause for a mass movement. It's only a spark that provoked people's anger.

But the monks protests were completely unexpected for them.

Just like the movement of 1988, the current protests are needed, but it is important that everybody unites at all levels, from students to workers and farmers.

Everyone should join in to form a mass movement. International pressure is also vital at this moment.

U MAUNG HTET

Monks are playing a vital role in current events. The generals are in a very difficult position as the monks are just organising peaceful gatherings in many famous pagodas and praying.

One thing is for sure - the situation is escalating faster then everybody anticipated

It won't be easy for the government to stop the monks. They are peaceful and they are smart enough to keep their distance from ordinary people, which makes it very difficult for the army to shoot them.

The army is still waiting to see how things will develop. I think they are waiting for the leaders to be exposed so that they can arrest them and then try to split the monks by bribing them.

There are rumours that the generals are very worried and that this could lead towards [head of state] Than Shwe stepping down.

One thing is for sure - the situation is escalating faster then everybody anticipated, including myself. I won't be surprised if things get out of hand very soon.

SPOKESPERSON FOR THE COALITION OF MONKS

The monks have been cheered on by hundreds of onlookers

We need to look at the root causes of the events happening in Burma these days - why have monks come out on to the streets to demonstrate? Why are they marching in many cities and praying for the country?

The root cause is that the country has become very poor. People are struggling for their daily living. Monks cannot bear to see the misery of the people.

We know that the root cause of all these miseries is the current system of government. That system is tormenting the whole country.

We cannot accept the situation. This system is the common enemy for all of us. We must, at all costs, change this system.