Buddhist monks protest in Burma

YANGON – More than a thousand Buddhist monks marched peacefully in two Myanmar cities yesterday, the latest in a wave of recent anti-government protests that have rocked the country, witnesses said.

At least 400 monks, chanting prayers and walking in rows, marched in the country’s biggest city, Yangon, said witnesses, who refused to be named for fear of reprisals. After pro-junta toughs and plainclothes police barred them from entering Yangon’s famous Shwedagon pagoda and then the Botataung pagoda, the monks sat in the street and chanted before ending the protest and returning to monasteries.Thousands of onlookers cheered, clapped and offered water as the saffron-robed monks made the three-hour, 16-kilometre march.”We are grateful to the monks for making good on their promise despite heavy security presence and obstacles,” said a man who followed the monks throughout the march.He refused to give his name for fear of reprisals.Unlike at earlier protests, junta supporters did not intervene.They did, however, snatch video cameras and cameras from some journalists and attempted to seize one journalist and force him into a truck, witnesses said.Meanwhile, in the city of Bago about 80 kilometres away, some 1 000 monks marched peacefully to the Shwemawdaw pagoda, residents said.No one was arrested in either march.Both ended peacefully.The monks had given authorities a Monday deadline to apologise for beating hundreds of them two weeks ago as they marched peacefully in Pakokku, a centre of Buddhist learning, to protest rising fuel and consumer prices.The apology never came.The anti-government protests began August 19 after the government raised fuel prices by as much as 500 per cent, putting the squeeze on already impoverished citizens.The protests have continued despite the detention of more than 100 demonstrators and the rough treatment of others.Monks have been at the forefront of political protests in Myanmar since British colonial times.Because they are so revered by the public, repressing them is politically risky.The junta is wary that demonstrations could gain momentum if monks keep protesting.Yesterday’s march came on the 19th anniversary of the coup in which Myanmar’s current junta took power after crushing a failed pro-democracy rebellion that sought an end to military rule, imposed since 1962.Nampa-APAfter pro-junta toughs and plainclothes police barred them from entering Yangon’s famous Shwedagon pagoda and then the Botataung pagoda, the monks sat in the street and chanted before ending the protest and returning to monasteries.Thousands of onlookers cheered, clapped and offered water as the saffron-robed monks made the three-hour, 16-kilometre march.”We are grateful to the monks for making good on their promise despite heavy security presence and obstacles,” said a man who followed the monks throughout the march.He refused to give his name for fear of reprisals.Unlike at earlier protests, junta supporters did not intervene.They did, however, snatch video cameras and cameras from some journalists and attempted to seize one journalist and force him into a truck, witnesses said.Meanwhile, in the city of Bago about 80 kilometres away, some 1 000 monks marched peacefully to the Shwemawdaw pagoda, residents said.No one was arrested in either march.Both ended peacefully.The monks had given authorities a Monday deadline to apologise for beating hundreds of them two weeks ago as they marched peacefully in Pakokku, a centre of Buddhist learning, to protest rising fuel and consumer prices.The apology never came.The anti-government protests began August 19 after the government raised fuel prices by as much as 500 per cent, putting the squeeze on already impoverished citizens.The protests have continued despite the detention of more than 100 demonstrators and the rough treatment of others.Monks have been at the forefront of political protests in Myanmar since British colonial times.Because they are so revered by the public, repressing them is politically risky.The junta is wary that demonstrations could gain momentum if monks keep protesting.Yesterday’s march came on the 19th anniversary of the coup in which Myanmar’s current junta took power after crushing a failed pro-democracy rebellion that sought an end to military rule, imposed since 1962.Nampa-AP