Hundreds protest in Myanmar over fuel price hike |
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Sun, 19 Aug 2007 10:38
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YANGON, Myanmar (Thomson Financial) - Pro-democracy activists led hundreds of people in a rare march through Myanmar's main city of Yangon on Sunday, in protest against an enormous hike in fuel prices last week.Myanmar's ruling junta doubled key fuel prices on Wednesday without warning, leaving many urban workers unable to afford the cost of simply getting to their jobs.Min Ko Naing, a prominent pro-democracy leader and one-time political prisoner, said a group of former student leaders decided to walk through the city in solidarity with residents who could no longer afford buses or taxis.Hundreds of people marched through the city's outlying neighbourhoods, and the crowd grew in size as bystanders and passersby joined the protesters, Min Ko Naing said.'The people from along the streets greeted and cheered us. Some people from the bus, they climbed down to participate in the demonstration,' he told Agence France Presse.'We showed that the price increase for petrol was too much,' he said.Myanmar's repressive regime tolerates little public dissent, but the protest unfolded peacefully.Official media has yet to mention the nationwide fuel hike, the first in two years.Inflation is estimated at 37 percent this year in Myanmar, one of the world's poorest nations, and the jump in fuel prices immediately raised fears that it could rise even higher.afp/mb-mbCOPYRIGHTCopyright AFX News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News.
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Myanmar's junta imposes fuel hike 