Fuel price hike triggers Burma tensions

By Philippa Fogarty
BBC News, Bangkok

The arrests came after activists marched against fuel price hikes

The decision last week by the Burmese government to double the price of fuel has certainly stoked tensions in the poverty-stricken nation.

On Sunday, at least 400 people marched in the main city, Rangoon, in one of the country's largest demonstrations in recent years.

Military leaders acted swiftly to quash the protests.

In late-night raids, they arrested 13 prominent pro-democracy activists who had organised the rally, accusing them of "undermining peace and security of the state".

But the move did not appear to have worked. On Wednesday, despite the arrests, about 200 more people turned out to add their voices to the protests.

It was an unusual display of public opposition in a country where defying the government can bring swift retribution.

"The protests are quite significant," says Kyaw Zwa Moe of Irrawaddy magazine, a publication run by Burmese journalists in exile. "It is rare in Burma to see a public demonstration like that."

Impoverished nation

Last week's steep increase in the price of fuel will make life even harder for the millions of Burmese who are already living in abject poverty.

The cost of petrol and diesel doubled, and buses were also hit by a five-fold increase in the cost of compressed natural gas - something which Burma has in abundance.

Many people woke up to discover that they did not have enough money to get to work.

Profile: 88 Generation Students

The rise has also had a knock-on effect for staples such as rice, salt and cooking oil.

The reasons behind the price increase remain unclear.

"I can't pinpoint why the military leaders did it," says Thailand-based political commentator Aung Naing Oo. "People are hard-hit, even military rank and file."

But the concern it has generated is obvious.

"People know that if they stage a demonstration, they will be arrested, but they cannot stand the current situation and that is why they have come out of their homes," says Kyaw Zwa Moe.

Parallels with the past

He pointed to a sense of rising discontent in the country, similar to the months before the popular uprising of 1988, which was violently suppressed by the military.

"Then the government demolished the currency and people had no money. Now people have no money, that is why they come out."

And it is not impossible that the Burmese government can see also see the parallel between then and now.

Many of the activists who have been arrested are the leaders of the 88 Generation Students group that was at the forefront of the 1988 protests.

"These people command a lot of respect, in and out of the country," says Aung Naing Oo.

The authorities "wanted to prevent them going out on the street, because they feared they would encourage other people to join them".

He says that any escalation of public protests might be several months away. But he, too, sees a similarity to the days before the uprising.

"In 1988 we had food on the table. Things were bad, but not this bad," he says. "The whole thing points to possible violence in the future."