Burma government arrests prominent monk

The government of Burma arrested a prominent monk Friday morning for his leadership role in the anti-government protests which took place back in 2007. The arrest of Shin Gambira comes less than a month after the release of 651 political prisoners. Director of Burma Campaign UK Mark Farmaner spoke with Ann Schneible about the implications of the arrest within the international community, which had expressed cautious optimism about last month’s prisoner release being an indication of genuine government reform. “I hope that this arrest will make the international community a little bit more aware that all the laws that sent the political prisoners to jail in the first place are still in place. They’re still on the books. None of them have been revealed. And that the government still doesn’t tolerate dissent taking place in Burma.”

“People will be hoping that this will just add a little bit of caution to the international community," he said, adding, "yes, there is cause for optimism." Noting that things have changed considerably, he went on to say, "you haven’t seen any real fundamental democratic reform in Burma yet. You still need that international pressure to encourage the government to make real genuine reforms and not just pragmatic changes that can be given and taken away at the stroke of a pen.”
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