About 50 Burmese protestors, including one woman, were arrested by the police this morning, and are currently held at the Jalan Pudu police station, for taking part in an 'illegal' protest opposite the Burmese embassy in Kuala Lumpur.

The scenario was familiar as dissidents staged a protest outside the mission to call for democratic reforms in Burma and to demand the release of democratic icon Aung San Suu Kyi before being rounded up by the police.

The pro-democracy protesters, about 70 people, had gathered at the embassy since 10am to show their support for Suu Kyi - who was jailed in May 2003 and subsequently placed under house arrest till today.

They carried banners, chanted slogans, sang songs of freedom and called for her unconditional release together with that of other political prisoners in Burma.

(Burma has been renamed Myanmar by the junta but its new name is rejected by pro-democracy supporters.)

The police, led by Pudu police station chief Mohd Asri Mohd Yunus, arrived at 10.20am. He gave the protesters 10 minutes to say their piece and warned that they faced arrest for staging an 'illegal' demonstration if they did not disperse after that.

The Police Act 1967 deems any gathering - without a permit - of more than five people as an illegal assembly which warrants arrest.

The protesters negotiated to be given an hour but failed. They were arrested at 10.40am after the demonstrators continued their protest. They chanted "free Daw Suu, we want democracy in Burma" as they were loaded onto a police truck and driven away.

Solidarity

In a memorandum, read aloud earlier to the embassy, the protesters also demanded that the military junta release National League of Democracy (NLD) vice-chairperson U Tin Oo and sought the return of a democratic government.

The NLD, which won an overwhelming majority in the 1990 general election, was not allowed by the junta to take over the government. Its leaders and members have often been arrested or placed under house arrest.

"We also call on the notorious military junta to convene an urgent meeting with the NLD and national (political and armed) groups," they read aloud to embassy officials standing behind the mission's steel gates.

"Our national leader (Suu Kyi) is not alone. We are all standing behind her. We know the military is still going to crush her and the election results. There are two ways to choose our future.

"One is to accept the complete crush down by the SPDC (State Peace and Development Council - the junta's political name) of all democratic groups or two, to fight back and sacrifice for our country, together with Daw Suu, for democracy and human rights. We have chosen the second option."

The embassy did not engage the crowds except to take photographs of the protesters. The mission's first secretary declined comment when approached by malaysiakini.

60th Birthday

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate will be marking her 60th birthday this Sunday at her home in Rangoon. She has not been allowed outside in more than two years. This is her third stint under house arrest which has evoked worldwide condemnation.

The protest - which was also to mark her birthday on June 19 - was staged today and not on Sunday because the embassy will be closed then.

Protest organiser Naing Linn said that it would have had a greater impact if carried out today.

Naing claimed to be the NLD - Liberated Area (NLDLA) Malaysian branch country representative. He was not among those arrested as a few had left the scene when police arrived.

Meanwhile, in a related press statement, global human rights watchdog Amnesty International, in reiterating its call for the release of an estimated 1,350 political prisoners in Burma, branded Suu Kyi's continued detention as 'unacceptable'.

"Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been denied her liberty for almost two-thirds of the last 16 years and has never been charged or brought to trial. It is a totally unacceptable price to pay for her peaceful political activities," said Amnesty International secretary-general Irene Khan.

It is highly unlikely that Suu Kyi will be able to celebrate her birthday with her two children (who do not live in Burma) as they have not been allowed access to her over the past two years and visa requirements for them to enter Burma are restrictive.