Police crackdown on minority protests in Myanmar

Police fired rubber bullets into a crowd of several thousand demonstrators in eastern Myanmar on Tuesday, activists said, as protests mount over a new and controversial statue.

The bronze structure depicts Bogyoke Aung San on horseback and was unveiled early this month in the capital of Kayah State despite strong opposition.

Aung San is widely revered by the majority ethnic Bamar population as an independence hero for his role in the struggle against British colonial rule.

But the general, who was assassinated before independence in 1948, is viewed less favourably among many ethnic minority groups, who see him as a symbol of Bamar domination.

On Tuesday, several thousand people marched to the Kayah State parliament only to be blocked by police in riot gear who were lined up behind rolls of barbed wire.

Organizers said at least 3,000 people had gathered on the Union Day holiday in Loikaw, the capital of the mountainous eastern state of Kayah, also known as Karenni, despite being denied permission for the demonstration.

The protest was symbolically held on Union Day, a public holiday meant to celebrate the nation's unity.

“We are not objecting to the general’s statue itself - we are demanding to implement his promises first,” Khun Thomas, a leader of the Karenni State Youth Force, said at the protest, broadcast live on Facebook using smartphones.

“We are going to continue our protest.”

Images showed medics cleaning up blood streaming from rubber bullet wounds of dazed-looking protesters, many dressed in local traditional red woven garments.

So far 82 protesters have been arrested in Kayah State since last July when plans for the statue were first announced. Most of those have been detained in the last fortnight.

If convicted, they could face up to six months in jail while the protest leaders could be sentenced to up to two years with hard labour.

A further protest was due to take place in downtown Yangon on Tuesday afternoon.