Myanmar Protesters Injured In Scuffle With Japanese Police
Most of the media attention yesterday was on the protests in Nagano, so some people may have missed what happened at Myanmar’s embassy in Tokyo:
Ten demonstrators demanding that all Myanmar citizens living overseas be given the right to vote in an upcoming referendum were injured Saturday in a scuffle with police in Japan.
Eight of the 10 injured in the confrontation outside the Myanmar Embassy in Tokyo were taken to a hospital for treatment, said Tokyo Fire Department spokesman Yoshinori Nagashiki.
He said all those hurt were conscious but other details of their conditions were not immediately known.
A Tokyo Metropolitan Police spokesman confirmed that four Myanmar citizens were taken to a hospital, and said two were slightly injured while two others felt sick following the scuffle. He said he did not have details about any others who might have been hurt.
The injured were among about 150 people — mostly Myanmar citizens and some Japanese supporters — demanding that all Myanmar citizens living abroad be allowed to vote on Mynamar’s new constitution in a May 10 referendum, the police spokesman said. He spoke on condition of anonymity, citing policy.
