New | Myanmar court adds hard labour to punishment for six activists over Chinese embassy protest

A Myanmar court imposed new sentences with hard labour for six prominent activists who are already serving prison terms for political activities.

All six were charged in connection with a protest they attended last year outside the Chinese embassy to demand an investigation into the shooting death of an opponent of a Chinese-backed copper mine.

The court yesterday sentenced them to four years and four months imprisonment with hard labour.  “All six activists were sentenced to four years and four months  imprisonment each,” lawyer Robert San Aung, who represented five of the activists, said.

 He said the court found them guilty on charges including defying an order  to disperse, disrupting the duty of a civil servant and protesting without  permission.

The campaigners were arrested following December protests near the Chinese  embassy in Yangon calling for the closure of the mine venture in the central  town of Monywa, which has been dogged by complaints of land-grabbing and  environmental damage.

Protests in Yangon were sparked by the death of Khin Win, in her 50s, who was shot dead by police near the mine in December, during clashes with  demonstrators trying to stop the mine company from building a fence in territory disputed with local farmers.