Soldiers at street corners, riot police on standby, and tension in the air – this is Burma on the eve of Human Rights Day 2008…

Below is an article written by Min Lwin and published by The Irrawaddy:

Security has been tightened in Rangoon ahead of Human Rights Day, according to sources in the former capital.

The security forces, including members of the Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA) and Swan Ah Shin, were posted at crowded spots, such as 8 Mile Junction in Mayangone Township, say the sources.

Burma’s pro-democracy groups unofficially mark Human Rights Day as March 13. On that date in 1988, riot police shot and killed Phone Maw of the Rangoon Institute of Technology during a small student protest. Phone Maw became the first victim of a crackdown on protests that sparked the nationwide pro-democracy uprising in 1988.

“There are a lot of security forces assigned, especially around City Hall,” said a Rangoon resident.

He added that firefighters had been assigned security duties as well, reinforcing the policemen and members of Swan Ah Shin, a civil militia that was instrumental in oppressing the August and September protests last year [2007].

Another Rangoon resident said that private vehicles, fire engines, prison vans and military trucks carrying Lon Htein (riot police) and Swan Ah Shin were patrolling the streets in downtown in Rangoon since the beginning of this week.

“The USDA and Swan Ah Shin are even stationed at ‘ambush posts’ along the streets in the outskirts of Rangoon,” he said.

“The Lon Htein are deployed close to one another along Kabaraye Pagoda Road,” a tour guide in Bahan Township told The Irrawaddy by phone on Tuesday [11 March 2008].

“The riot police had red cloths wrapped around their necks during the Gambari visit,” he said. “But now they have changed the color of their scarves to blue, indicating that the situation is less tense.”

A well-informed source in Rangoon said the authorities fear a repeat of the uprising led by monks in September [2007], when at least 31 people were killed and up to 4,000 were arrested.

Security has also been beefed up around schools in Rangoon, say sources. All state schools have been holding matriculation exams since Monday [10 March 2008].