Yangon: Police in Myanmar have filed charges of unlawful assembly against seven people who staged a peaceful protest in Yangon against land confiscation.
Police said on Friday that those charged included labour rights lawyer Pho Phyu, who was with more than 30 farmers who staged a sit-in on Thursday in front of the government housing department. They are also charged with refusing a police order to disperse. The protest came as the outside world is watching the government`s commitment to democratic reforms.
The United States and other Western nations are maintaining political and economic sanctions against the repressive former ruling junta. But they have indicated they would respond positively to liberalisation moves, such as a mass release of political prisoners. Bureau Report