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Burmese activists protest as embassy conducts polling |
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Mizzima News
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Sunday, 27 April 2008 23:18 |
Chiang Mai - Burmese activists on Sunday staged a brief protest outside the Burmese embassy in Bangkok, exhorting voters to reject the ruling junta's draft constitution by casting 'No' votes.
The demonstrators, urged Burmese citizens, who were voting at the embassy on the draft constitution, to cast 'No' votes saying that the draft constitution does not guarantee genuine democracy but is to legitimize and perpetuate military rule.
The nearly 150 protesters led by Arakan League for Democracy in exile, with red headbands that had the word 'No', shouted slogans of 'reject the constitution that does not represent the peoples desire', 'cast 'No' in the referendum', 'We need no military dictators', 'release Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all political prisoners', and 'release all ethnic political leaders'.
A protester said they brought a ballot box to demonstrate on how people should vote 'No' in the referendum.
A Burmese citizen, who voted today, said, "The embassy was closed during the demonstration, and people were not allowed in at that point. We could only go in to vote after the demonstration."
Despite tight security in front of the embassy, the demonstration ended peacefully without any scuffle with Thai security forces, a protester said.
The Burmese embassy in Thailand held absentee referendum voting for Burmese citizens with valid permits since April 22 and is reportedly concluding today - April 27.
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"We are at a critical point. Unless more aid gets into the country very quickly, we face an outbreak of infectious diseases that could dwarf today's current crisis," 
