Sittwe: An Arakanese underground group called the "Rakha Alin Dan", or the "Rays", conducted a prayer campaign for political prisoners on Thursday in 13 townships of Arakan State, said Ma Pan Thu San, chief of the group.
She said, "We did the prayer campaign for political prisoners at many worship places in 13 townships in Arakan, calling for freedom of all political prisoners immediately. A few people gathered there to pray for political prisoners."
No action was taken by the government authority for the prayer campaign for political prisoners.
"We did not face any problems with the campaign despite holding it in many towns - Rathidaung, Sittwe, Mrauk U, Kyauk Taw, Min Bya, Kyauk Pru, Mray Bon, Maungdaw, Ponna Kyunt, and Ann - the authority did not know of our activities," she added.
A youth from Taungup who participated in the campaign said that about 20 people attended the prayer campaign held in Found Daw Oo Pagoda in Taungup by lighting candles in front of the Buddha image.
About 20 or 30 people in each township in Arakan State attended the prayer campaign to pray for the freedom of political prisoners.
The campaign for political prisoners came about after two political groups - 88 students Group and the All Burma Monk’s Alliance - convened on Wednesday to worship every Sabbath day for political prisoners to be released immediately.
After that, the campaign was conducted by social and political groups yesterday, the day of the full moon of the month of Nan Yon in the Burmese era. The campaign was done on the day in many towns and cities, in both Arakan and other states and divisions.
"Our members who are living in Rangoon also joined some prayer campaigns held in Rangoon. Other people did the prayer campaign in some divisions like Mandalay, Irrawaddy, and Rangoon," she said.
The campaign for political prisoners will reportedly continue every sabbath day until political prisoners are freed from prisons in Burma.
Many people in and outside of the country believe all political prisoners should be freed in Burma if the government wants to achieve democracy.
The main group working for the campaign is an Arakanese social group formed by some women leaders to carry out social affairs in Arakan State. They group recently published a magazine with many anti-dictatorship articles inside Arakan secretly to avoid government censors.
