Myanmar man in critical condition after self-immolation - diplomats

Mar 23, 2008, 12:25 GMT

Yangon - A 26-year-old man was in critical condition in hospital after setting himself on fire in an apparent protest against economic hardships in the country, Western diplomats and security sources said Sunday, citing eyewitness accounts.

In the incident which took place Friday evening, the man poured petrol over himself in the country's holiest temple, the Shwedagon Pagoda, then set himself alight, security sources said.

The man was identified as Thaw Zin Naing, with witnesses reporting they heard him cry out against economic hardship and the stress of living in a broken economy. He is now in critical condition in Yangon General Hospital.

Although security is tight at what has often been an important gathering place, he was already badly burnt before officials could put the flames out, the witnesses said.

While foreign currency payments from the sales of offshore oil and gas help a military regime that has ruled since 1962, ordinary Burmese without special contacts find life hard, said diplomats contacted Sunday.

Country people who can grow their own food do better than city folk who are a prey to inflation, miserable pay and widespread petty corruption, said one Western diplomat.

The National Leaugue for Democracy, the key opposition organization, said Sunday that Thaw Zin Naing was not a member.