A handful of Burmese nationals yesterday took to the streets of Kingston in support of their fellow countrymen who have been protesting in that South-east Asian country against military dictatorship for the past eight days.

The placard-bearing protestors stood outside the Chinese Embassy on Seaview Avenue in the scorching morning sun before moving on to the United Nations office on Lady Musgrave Road and the Seymour Road-based Indian High Commission to continue their protest.

Organised by Dr Soe Naung, who works as a medical doctor here, the protestors called for an end to China’s support of the military regime.

“We believe China should do better, they have a lot of influence on the regime and we need them to help us free Burma, that’s why we are here,” Dr Naung told the Observer.

He accused China of supplying the regime with weapons which are used to kill civilians who protest against their actions.

At least 20 monks have been killed since the start of the protest which began last month after officials dramatically increased the price of fuel overnight, deepening the misery in the already impoverished country.

The initial protests – rare in a nation where the military quickly crushes any show of dissent – began with only a handful of marching demonstrators. But after the monks joined, the movement swelled, and around 100,000 people marched in Yangon on Monday and Tuesday.

Yesterday, security forces used batons, tear gas and live rounds in a violent crackdown on the mass protest, killing at least four people including three Buddhist monks.

The worsening situation has obviously angered Dr Naung and his fellow protestors.

“These are men of God, in our religion we are not allowed to hurt as much as an ant and these persons are firing shots and throwing tear gas at these people,” Dr Naung said.

He also expressed concern over what he said was a move by India to develop relations with the regime, saying that the country had even started making plans to enter into a gas deal with Burma.

“This will only fuel the brutality of the regime,” a concerned Dr Naung said, accusing the regime of ruling through fear.

He said those who took part in yesterday’s protest also fear that their families would be killed or imprisoned if the government gained knowledge of their action.

They have since called on the United Nations, Prime Minister Bruce Golding and the people of Jamaica to help fight for Burma’s freedom, saying the country has been failing under the ruling dictatorship.

“We lost our independence in 1962, the same year that Jamaica gained theirs. Since then the country has fallen. Burma is ranked 190th from 190 countries in a survey done by the World Health Organisation and scored 0 per cent in surveys regarding the governance of the country,” Dr Naung said. (See related story on Page 13)

– Additional reporting by AFP