Taungup: Security in Taungup, a town located in southern Arakan State, was strengthened today with the deployment of additional police personnel in key locations in the town, according to an activist.

“It is related to Daw Suu Kyi’s birthday. The security was beefed up after a rumour started making the rounds that the NLD in Taungup Township was preparing to celebrate the 64th birthday of Suu Kyi on June 19,” he said.

The local authorities deployed additional policemen at some key places, including the township Mayaka office, Phoundaw oo Pagoda and the main market.

Besides, some plainclothes intelligence personnel are closely watching politicians and activists, who were involved in the last anti government protests in the town.

“The NLD Taungup Township celebrates Daw Suu Kyi’s birthday every year and the authorities imagine this year also NLD Taungup Township will commemorate the ceremony. So the authorities have beefed up security in the town from today,” a woman in the town said.

Taungup is a town where the Burmese democratic movement is active and many protests took place in the town during the Saffron Revolution in 2007.

Due to their active participation in the Saffron Revolution, the authorities arrested many leaders from the town, including prominent politician, Ko Min Aung, Moe Nay Soe and Ma Ni Ni May Myint and sentenced them to long prison terms. Many of them are now serving their terms, in Buthidaung Prison bordering Bangladesh.

However, leaders of NLD Taungup Township are still carrying on their activities for the democratic movement without giving up.