The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, London

Myanmar democracy campaigners staged small protests outside Chinese embassies around the world Wednesday to mark 12 years of detention for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. A coalition of charities including Amnesty International called for demonstrations outside diplomatic missions in Bangkok, Sydney, London, Paris, Berlin, Dublin, Vienna, Washington, Toronto, New York, Brasilia and Cape Town. Up to 80 protestors gathered outside the London embassy, seeking to put pressure on Chinese authorities to do more to persuade Myanmar to give ground to democracy activists. Elsewhere the turnout was lower, with 10 reported in Sydney and 20 in Bangkok. In Europe about 30 people gathered in Paris, in Berlin monks staged a three-hour march, while in Vienna a planned demonstration was called off. Organizers played down the small crowds. "We weren't going for turnout," Mark Farmaner, acting director of Burma Campaign UK told AFP, noting that they had "big numbers" at an international day of action on October 6.