According to eye witness accounts, officers are “controlling” various monasteries across the Country, following the monks protests against rising fuel costs. Pamphlets urge the religious to refuse the traditional charity donation offered by the military, unless the Junta apologises for its violent repression of protests within six days.

Yangon (AsiaNews) – Former Burma’s military Junta has positioned police outside Buddhist monasteries across the country following protests against rising costs which last week saw the involvement of the monks.  Local media linked to the opposition have made the reports citing eye witness accounts in Yangon.

 

In the interim, the religious are threatening to refuse the charitable donations offered by the military if by September 17th the government does not apologise for the violence used against some monks in  Pakokku, beaten and arrested while they took part in peaceful demonstrations.  A boycott of the donation would express their dissent towards the military regime: the donation is considered an important spiritual obligation among good Buddhists.  According to The Irrawaddy newspaper, a group calling itself “the alliance of all Burma Buddhist monks,” are authors of a leaflet which gave the government until September 17 to come up with an apology. Monks in Taunggyi refer however that they are attempting to “ascertain who is behind the leaflet” given that only “the more affluent monks” could possibly survive a boycott of this nature.  At the moment – the say – they are waiting to see how monks in Yangon and Mandalay react, the most prestigious and numerous Buddhist communities in all of former Burma.

 

Buddhist monks and the army represent the two most important institutions on a national level, being the only two bodies substantially present throughout the territory.  The monks actively took part in protests, first against British colonialism, then against the military dictatorship.

 

The repression of anti-government movements which begun mid August against the hike in fuel costs, has drawn international criticism of the Junta.  In fact yesterday UN Secretary General announced the arrival of the special envoy  Ibrahim Gambari in Myanmar “as soon as possible” with the aim of meeting the generals and urge the speeding up of the process of “democratisation” of the nation.

 

• MYANMAR
• BURMA
• BUDDHIST
• MONKS
• PROTEST
• PRICE
• HIKES
• CONTROL