Brit Arrested in Burma for Protest

[ausgeo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Brit Arrested in Burma for Protest 
Tuesday, September 16, 1997; 1:54 p.m. EDT 
RANGOON, Burma (AP) -- A London resident handcuffed himself to a high school 
in the capital Tuesday, shouting democracy slogans before being cut free by 
police and taken in for questioning. 
The school was closed for a public holiday, and the protest, on the eve of the 
anniversary of the coup that brought the current military regime to power, did 
not spark any further unrest. 
Public High School No. 6 is on a moderately busy avenue in the capital, but 
police kept passersby on the other side of the street during the protest. A 
truckload of about 14 troops remained parked nearby. 
Such protests are virtually unheard of in Burma, where authorities keep a 
tight lid on dissent. 
Burmese dissidents in Bangkok, Thailand, told The Associated Press that the 
protester was James Mawdsley, 19, of London, a dual citizen of Britain and 
Australia. 
Bystanders said Mawdsley spray-painted the Burmese word "metta," or "love and 
kindness," on the school wall, cuffed himself to the gate and shouted 
pro-democracy slogans. They also said he handed out pamphlets. 
Immigration police were seen at the site of Mawdsley's arrest, and it was 
believed he would be deported. 
A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that a 
foreigner had been taken in for questioning after a protest but had few other 
details. 
British Embassy officials in Rangoon said they were checking into his apparent 
arrest. 
There has been little public dissent in Rangoon since December, when thousands 
of students demanding greater civil liberties took to the streets. University 
classes have been suspended since. 
The protests were aimed at Burma's military regime, which took power Sept. 18, 
1988, smashing a pro-democracy uprising.