Reforming protest law 'a struggle'
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The Parliament will struggle to reform Section 18 as the current administration is against changing the current laws, which determine the people's right to protest, said a ruling party MP.
MP Thura Aung Ko, who is a member of the Union Solidarity and Development Party, was speaking to journalists on Tuesday.
“I think those who want to reform Section 18 need to put great effort. When submitting the draft law, the Ministry of Home Affairs objected to it. What’s more is that the administration doesn’t want to reform it,” said Thura Aung Ko in reply to questions by journalists.
The Section 18 of the Penal Code allows authorities to arrest and detain demonstrators and imposes heavy penalties, including prison terms, if they do not have prior permission to rally. Activists say even the current constitution guarantees the right to peaceful assembly but the government has kept Section 18 in place to make sure there are limits.
