Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
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August 27, 2007

UN Rights Chief Louise Arbour Urges Burma to Release Protesters
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=18FFD23:A6F02AD83191E160B19015ABDA9491849574F7DCC14957C0 Arbour urges
government to engage in dialogue with demonstrators protesting against
fuel price increases The United Nations' top human rights official is
calling on Burma's military rulers to immediately release the people
detained last week for protesting higher fuel prices.







Louise Arbour (file photo)In a statement, U.N. High Commissioner for
Human Rights Louise Arbour urged the Burmese government to engage in a
dialogue with the demonstrators.

About 50 Burmese activists marched Monday against the fuel price
increases in the town of Bago, about 75 kilometers northeast of
Rangoon, continuing a series of small protests that began last week
mainly in Rangoon.

Some reports from Bago quote witnesses as saying the marchers
dispersed without incident and police did not intervene. The French
news agency says police detained the protesters for questioning and
then released them.

Burmese fuel prices soared this month after the government slashed
subsidies that kept oil prices low for years. The move sharply
increased the cost of public transportation and some basic
commodities.

Burma's government says it arrested about 50 activists who took part
in last week's protests. A Thailand-based Burmese rights group, The
Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, says at least 100
protesters were arrested.

The U.N.'s humanitarian chief in Burma, Charles Petrie, told the
Associated Press the fuel price increase will make it more difficult
for many Burmese to survive.

He says almost 90 percent of Burmese live below or near the poverty
line of one dollar a day.



Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.


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