Burmese police have charged but not detained five members of a group of peace marchers who are currently walking from Rangoon to Kachin capital Laiza, according to a report in Myanmar Times.
The five have reportedly been charged with breaching Section 18 of the Peaceful Protest Law because they did not obtain official permission to stage the march.
According to Myanmar Times, the protesters were charged in 12 Rangoon townships plus Daik U and Pegu as they passed through en route to Kachin State.
However, the police have made no arrests and the marchers have vowed to press on to Laiza—“leaving open the possibility that some of the marchers could face dozens of charges, which each carry a maximum prison term of one year,” said the report.
Mizzima reported last week that on January 21 some 30 activists had embarked on a 1,300-km journey by foot to the besieged town of Laiza, calling for an end to the ongoing conflict in Kachin State.
5 Rangoon – Laiza peace marchers charged.