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IRIN Asia | Sri Lanka:
Monks show solidarity with Myanmar protesters
humanitarian news and analysis
UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
SRI LANKA: Monks show solidarity with Myanmar protesters Photo: Amantha Perera (IRIN)
COLOMBO, 4 October 2007 (IRIN) – A group of monks chanting from sacred Buddhist scripts is not a typical scene near the UN compound in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo, but 100 monks from Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Thailand and Bangladesh were there to support the pro-democracy protests in Myanmar.
The demonstration was led by two of Sri Lanka’s most prominent monks, Madoluwave Sobitha Thero and Belanwila Wimalarathne Thero. The group presented a petition to the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sri Lanka, Neil Buhne, seeking greater UN intervention in Myanmar and calling for an end to the junta’s assault on the protests.
The demonstrators then moved on to the embassies of the USA, UK, Russia, China, India and France to deliver copies of their petition.
“Myanmar is a Buddhist country, we share the same heritage,” Sobitha Thero said. “What we are asking for is that the Myanmar government stops the harassment of Buddhist monks, who hold a special place in both our societies, and restore the will of the people.”
Buddhists a force within Sri Lanka
Monks play a leading role in Sri Lankan politics. No government can be elected or survive without the support of the Buddhist clergy and politicians have routinely sought the approval of the monks when pressing for new policies and on occasion shelved them when faced with their opposition. Recently their influence has grown. Eight Buddhist monks from the Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) political party are members of parliament and a lay member of the JHU is a government minister.
The JHU has not openly come out against the crackdown in Myanmar. However, its parliamentary group leader, Ellawala Medananda Thero, said it also did not condone the brutal assault on monks.
“Monks should not be beaten, assaulted and shot dead on the streets when they are staging peaceful protests,” Medananda Thero told a press conference in Colombo on 2 October.
The Sri Lankan government’s only reaction to the crisis in Myanmar has come from Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama: “Sri Lanka is eager that Myanmar resolves all issues through a peaceful process of national reconciliation and political accommodation,” he told the UN General Assembly in New York.
International protests
Similar Buddhist protests have been held in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Japan and Israel.
“This sends out a signal to the junta that Buddhists all over the world, especially in countries like Sri Lanka, support us,” Ykk Asma Thero, a Buddhist monk from Myanmar, who was part of the Colombo protests, told IRIN. “We hope and pray that the junta changes, but we will keep up with our campaigns if it does not.”
Sri Lankan monks also say the local protests are a sign that at least part of the clergy is actively engaged in upholding basic rights. “Human rights are universal, it is the same here and in Myanmar,” Badegama Samitha Thero, a Sri Lankan monk who has served as an elected member of parliament, told IRIN. “As monks we carry an extra responsibility when they are challenged.”
ap/bj/mw
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Irrawaddy
Overnight Arrests of Monks Continue in Rangoon
by Wai Moe
October 4, 2007
Five monasteries were raided in Rangoon and about 36 monks were arrested overnight on Wednesday, after receiving beatings from soldiers.
“They (soldiers) came and searched for monks on their lists,” a monk told The Irrawaddy. The soldiers had photographs of monks, and if they found a monk who was in a photograph, they arrested all the monks in the monastery, said the monk.
Raided monasteries included Shwetaungpaw, Dhammazaya and Sandilayama monasteries in South Okkalapa Township and Zayawaddy and Pannitayama in North Okkalapa Township. Two mobile telephones that belonged to monks were also seized by troops, said the source.
The raids in the North Okkalapa monasteries started around 10 p.m. and ended in early morning, said Nilar Thein, a leader of the 88 Generation Students group.
“Monks requested soldiers not to use violent acts on them. But soldiers neglected their requests.” she said.
The raids on monasteries in South Okkalapa Township began at midnight and ended at dawn. Everyone in the monasteries, including laymen, women and children, were taken away.
Security forces also entered a monastery at Chauk Htat Gyee Pagoda in Rangoon searching for specific monks.
At Maggin Monastery in Rangoon, authorities took photographs of HIV positive laypeople that are housed at the monastery and questioned them regarding interviews with a foreign radio station.
Sometimes arrests are like “kidnappings,” said one source, because soldiers might ask for up to 200,000 kyat (about US $130) for the release of unimportant detainees.
Overnight raids on monasteries began on September 26, the day the junta started its crackdown on peaceful protesters.
“I also heard some monks under detention at GTI (the Government Technology Institute) died,” said a Rangoon resident.
Soldiers are also looking for people who provided water or food to monks during the mass protests, said one source.
Also on Wednesday night, soldiers, searching for information, entered the home of a prominent former student leader, Min Ko Naing, who is under arrest.
In Taungdwingyi in central Burma, three men, Aung Ko, Kyaw Naing and Bo Ni, were arrested around midnight on Wednesday. All are members of the National League for Democracy.
According to Rangoon residents, security checkpoints are still scattered around the city. Soldiers stop and search civilians, particularly young people who carry bags.
Dissidents in Rangoon estimate there are 1,200 monks detained among an estimated 3,000 people arrested during the mass protests in Burma.
Monks are currently detained in Insein Prison, the Government Technology Institute and Kyaikkasan Stadium in Rangoon. Many monasteries in Rangoon remain locked up, and monks are unable to go out for alms, say Rangoon residents.
Irrawaddy.org
http://www.irrawaddy.org/
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Al Jazeera
Myanmar Officer Flees Crackdown
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 03, 2007
12:55 MECCA TIME, 9:55 GMT
A senior officer from Myanmar’s ruling military is in hiding after defecting from the country saying he could not bear the responsibility of opening fire on anti-government protesters.
‘Nay Lin Tun’ – not his real name – escaped last Thursday, shortly before the army launched its violent crackdown on protesters and Buddhist monks.
He is the most senior military man to have deserted so far, and says he was forced to flee after being ordered to fire on monks, or face execution.
He is currently in hiding with his son, but the rest of his family remains in Myanmar and for their safety his identity is being kept a secret.
As a devout Buddhist, Nay Lin Tun says he could not bring himself to fire upon the protesters, particularly the monks.
But he knew that if he refused to follow orders, he would almost certainly be arrested and perhaps face a firing squad.
In the end, Nay Lin Tun’s Buddhist beliefs overruled his military discipline and he deserted.
Myanmar’s military
Army has had prominent role in Myanmar’s history, having led the push for independence from Britain
Senior General Than Shwe retains an iron grip on the country through two key posts – as head of state and head of the military
Below him are generals who are regularly reshuffled to stop them gaining too much power
Next come the officers who are graduates of the elite Maymyo military school
Officially there is no conscription, but human rights groups say Myanmar is the world’s biggest recruiter of child soldiers
Petty criminals, orphans and the poor are also forced to join the army’s lower ranks
But observers say there are growing tensions in the army, with factional rivalries and uncertainty over a successor to Than Shwe
‘Sons of Buddha’”I am a Buddhist. I don’t want to kill monks,” he told TV2 Norway after his escape.
“Monks are the sons of Buddha. So I left my position and fled the country.”
Before the recent protests Nay Lin Tun had previously been an officer fighting Karen rebels east of Yangon.
When he decided to escape last week he contacted those former enemies who smuggled him and his son across the border into Thailand, where they are now in hiding.
Speaking to TV2 he said that even though he and his son had escaped Myanmar they were still not safe.
Myanmar has demanded he be returned to the country and he said he fears assassination or that the Thai authorities might send him back.
“If I go back, I will surely be killed,” he said.
He says he wants to apply for asylum in Norway, where he has friends and which is a base to a large number of Myanmar exiles.
Nay Lin Tun’s actions give a rare insight into Myanmar’s secretive army of which only a little is known.
Desertions
Myanmar’s army has a force of more than 400,000 soldiers.
Treatment and training is harsh and insiders say there is a great deal of discontent within the ranks and an increasing number of desertions.
Zaw Oo, a lecturer at Chiang Mai University and head of the Vahu Institute, an independent think tank specialising in Myanmar, told Al Jazeera that Myanmar’s army is not a monolithic force and is facing critical challenges.
In particular he said mid-level officers – those in charge of managing the foot soldiers – face huge frustrations.
“Burma is now facing a very tough economic crisis and this is also affecting the rank and file of the army,” he said, using the country’s former name.
“Last year the army lost at least 10,000 troops who deserted because they can no longer live under the very harsh conditions.”
But despite this, fear remains the glue holding Myanmar’s army together, with strict punishments for soldiers who do not toe the line.
Speaking to TV 2 Nay Lin Tun said most officers in the army are “like robots”, afraid of the consequences of refusing to follow orders.
He said that while there are other officers like him who are sympathetic to the protesters, it is very unlikely there will be any kind of mutiny against the country’s military rulers.
Source: Al Jazeera
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UN envoy ends Myanmar trip
International Herald Tribune
UN envoy ends Myanmar trip
By Seth Mydans
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
BANGKOK: A United Nations envoy to Myanmar met Tuesday with both the leader of the military junta and the leader of the democratic opposition, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, completing a four-day trip that followed the brutal suppression of mass popular demonstrations.
The envoy, Ibrahim Gambari, met first with the country’s military leader, Senior General Than Shwe, bringing a message of outrage from the outside world at the crackdown that began last week, with soldiers firing into crowds and arresting hundreds of the Buddhist monks who had led the demonstrations.
Gambari then flew from the country’s remote, militarized capital, Naypyidaw, to the nation’s main city, Yangon, where he met for a second time with Aung San Suu Kyi, whom he had also visited on Sunday.
These alternating visits raised hopes that he might be fostering some kind of rudimentary dialogue.
But one Western ambassador cautioned against expecting immediate results in a standoff that has continued since the junta took power after a bloody crackdown in 1988. Than Shwe and his fellow generals have confined Aung San Suu Kyi to house arrest for 12 of the past 18 years.
“I don’t expect great changes to come from Gambari’s visit,” said the diplomat, who spoke anonymously according to his embassy’s policy. “I expect the opening gambit of the generals to be a very tough one. But in the longer term, I think this is not going to go away. It is important to keep the pressure on them.”
Yangon was grimly quiet during Gambari’s visit, with armed soldiers guarding streets that had been filled last week with up to 100,000 protesters led by columns of Buddhist monks, the largest protests since this junta took power.
But the junta’s crackdown on its people continued with reports of house-to-house searches and the continuing detention in harsh conditions of thousands of monks and their supporters.
There was no immediate word on the content of Gambari’s visits. He is to report back to the Security Council on his return.
The Western diplomat said four detention centers were being built around Yangon, including one at an institute of technology and one at a race course, indicating that the military planned to hold the monks and others for long periods.
“You wonder what’s going to happen to all these monks,” said the diplomat. “Surely they aren’t going to let them back into the community. There are a lot of these poor guys detained and presumably a lot of them murdered.”
It was impossible to verify the number of arrests, injuries and deaths since the military began its crackdown before dawn last Wednesday. Human rights groups and diplomats agree that the number of dead is far higher than the 10 acknowledged by the junta. But beyond that, any number is speculation, they said.
Human rights groups said many people were in hiding or on the run, fearing arrest after taking part in the protests or in smuggling out the photographs and videotapes that have caught the world’s attention.
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All Myanmar government websites appear to be off-line but listed below are fax numbers and email addresses for their embassies around the world. Perhaps if we all register our protest by fax or email to these office, we can let the Burmese government know that the world is watching their inhumanity.
Write to the Burmese government with your message of protest or simply attach this file to your email, or print it and fax it: http://uscampaignforburma.org/action/ISupportSangha.pdf
or, enlarge, print and send this message:
Forward this message to those you know and encourage them to send to all the addresses listed in the table below.
Maybe tens of thousands of emails and faxes will get their attention.
See what else you can do at: U.S. Campaign for Burma
Myanmar Embassies Worldwide
| AUSTRALIA (Canberra) |
22 ARKANA St, YARRALUMNA, ACT 2600 Tel : (61-2) 6273 3811, 6273 3751 Fax : (61-2) 6273 4357 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Aye (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Kyaw Aye (Minister Counsellor) |
| BANGLADESH (Dhaka) |
No. 3 BLOCK-NEL(l) ROAD No 84, GULSHAN-2 Tel : (88-02) 60 09 88, 60 14 61, 60 19 15, 60 22 84 Fax : (88-02) 88 23 740 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Ohn Thwin (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Mya Tun (Counsellor) |
| BRAZIL (Brasilia) |
SHIS QL 08, CONJUNTO 04, CASA 05, LAGOSUL, 71620-245 BRASILIA-DF Tel : 00-55-61-2483747, 00-55-61-3643145 Fax : 00-55-61-3642747 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Kyaw Myint (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Thet Bo (Minister Counsellor) |
| BRUNEI DARUSSALAM (Bandar Seri Begawan) |
No. 14 lot 2185/46292 SIMPANG 212 JALAN KAMPONG RIMBE GADONG 3385, Post Code BE-3119 P.O Box 1309 POST OFFI CE GADONG 3113 Tel : (673-2) 450506, (673-2) 450507 Fax : (673-2) 451008 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Than Tun (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Nae Myo Aung (First-Secretary) |
| CAMBODIA (Phnom Penh) |
181, PREAH NORODON BOULEVARD, BOEUNG KENG KANG 1, KHAN CHAMCARMON Tel : (855-23) 213663, 213664 Fax : (855-23) 2136665 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Tint Lwin (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Maung Wai (Counsellor) |
| CANADA (Ottawa) |
SANDRINGHAM BUILDING, 85 RANGE ROAD, SUITE 902-903, ONTARIO KIN 8J6 Tel : (613) 232-6434 Fax : (613) 232-6435 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Nyunt Tin (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: Daw Yin Yin Oo (First-Secretary) |
| CHINA (PRC) (Beijing, Kunming) |
BEIJINGNo. 6 DONGZHI MEN WAI STREET, CHAO YANG DISTRICT, 100600 Tel : (0086) (10) 6532 1425, 6532 1584, 6532 0714, 6532 1488, 6532 1624 Fax : (0086) (10) 6532 1344 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Ba Htay Chit (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: Daw Khin Nan Myint (Minister Counsellor) KUNMING Consulate General3rd Floor BUILDING No. 3 CAMELLIA HOTEL, No. 96 EAST DONG FENG ROAD, Tel : (86) (871) 3176609 Fax : (86) (871) 3176309 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Thein Zaw (Consul General)Deputy Head of Mission: U Okkar (Consul) |
| EGYPT (Cairo) |
No. 24, MOHAMED MAZHAR St. ZAMALEK Tel : (202) 736 2644, 735 4176, 735 1568 Fax : (202) 736 6793 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Thein Aung (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Than Tun (Counsellor) |
| FRANCE (Paris) |
No. 60, RUE DE COURCELLES, 75008-PARIS Tel : (33) 01 42 25 56 95 Fax : (33) 01 42 56 49 41 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Linn Myaing (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Myint Soe (Minister Counsellor) |
| GENEVA | Permanent Mission of the Union of Myanmar to the United Nations47, AVENUE BLANC, 1202 GENEVA Tel : (0041-22) 731 75 40/731 75 49 Fax : (0041-22) 738 48 82 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Mya Than (Permanent Representative)Deputy Head of Mission: U Tin Maung Aye (Deputy Permanent Representative) |
| GERMANY (Berlin) |
ZIMMER STR 56, 10117 BERLIN MITTE, F.R.G Tel : (0049 30) 2061570 Fax : (0049 30) 20649757 Send EmailHead of Mission: U San Thein (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Winn Thein (Counsellor) |
| HONG KONG | Consulate GeneralRM 2401-2405 & 2436-2440, SUN HUNG KAI CENTRE, 30 HARBOUR ROAD, WANCHAI Tel : (852) 2827 7929, 2827 9843 Fax : (852) 2827 6597 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Myo Chit (Consul General)Deputy Head of Mission: U Wai Lwin Than (Consul) |
| INDIA (Delhi) |
3/50 F, NYAYAMARG, CHANAKYAPURI NEW DELHI 110021 Tel : (009111) 6889007, 6889008 Fax : (009111) 6877942 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Tin Latt (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Soe Hlaing (Counsellor) |
| INDONESIA (Jakarta) |
109, JL. HAJIAGUS SALIM, MENTENG, JAKARTA PUSAT Tel : (62 21) 3140 440, 327 684 Fax : (62 21) 327 204 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Nyo Win (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Aung Than (Minister Counsellor) |
| ISREAL (Tel Aviv) |
No. 26 HAYARKON St. TEL AVIV 68011 Tel : (972) (3) 5170 760, 5170 761 Fax : (972) (3) 5171 440 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Wunna Maung Lwin (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Aung Soe Win (Second-Secretary) |
| ITALY (Rome) |
VIALE GIOACCHINO ROSSINI, NO 18, Int 2, 1st Floor 00198 Tel : 0039-06-8543974, 85863343 Fax : 0039-06-8413167 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Phone Myiint (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Aung Myint (Minister Counsellor) |
| JAPAN (Tokyo) |
8-26, 4-CHOME, KITA-SHINAGAWA, SHINAGAWA-KU TOKYO 140-0001 Tel : (81) (03) 3441-9291, 3441-9292, 3441-9293,3441-9294, 3441-9029, 3441-9044 Fax : (81) (03) 3447-7394 Send EmailHead of Mission: Dr Aung Naing (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U L Zau Goone (Minister Counsellor) |
| KOREA (Seoul) |
723-1, 724-1, HANNAM-DONG YONGSAMN-KU, SEOUL, 140-210 Tel : (82-2) 792-3341, 796-9858, 796-7814 Fax : (82-2) 796-5570 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Nyunt Maung Shein (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Phae Than Oo (Minister Counsellor) |
| LAOS (Vientiane) |
BAN THONG KANG, SOK PALAUNG, P.O. Box No. 11 Tel : (856) (21) 314910, 314911 Fax : (856) (21) 314913 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Sein Win Aung (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Nyi Soe (First-Secretary) |
| MALAYSIA (Kuala Lumpur) |
No. 10 JALAN MENGKUANG, OFF JALANG RU, 55000 Tel : (603) 42560280, 42570680 Fax : (603) 42568320 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Hla Maung (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Thant Kyaw (Counsellor) |
| NEPAL (Kathmandu) |
CHAKUPAT, PATAN GATE, LALITPUR P.O.Box 2437 Tel : (0097) (1) 521788, 524788 Fax : (0097) (1) 523402 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Tin Win (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Aung Myo Myint (Second-Secretary) |
| PAKISTAN (Islamabad) |
No. 201 St N0 10, SECTOR E-7 Tel : (0092) (51) 2822460, 2828828 Fax : (0092) (51) 2828819 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Soe Win (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Shwe Moe (Minister Counsellor) |
| PHILIPPINES (Manila) |
4th Floor, XANLAND CENTRE, 152, AMORSOLO St, LEGASPI VILLAGE, MAKATI CITY, METRO MENALI Tel : (0063-2) 817-2373, 812-9587 Fax : (0063-2) 817-5895 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Tin Tun (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Paw Lwin Sein (Minister Counsellor) |
| RUSSIAN FEDERATION (Moscow) |
41. UL. B. NIKITSKAYA (GERTSENA), Tel : (007) (095) 291 05 34 Fax : (007) (095) 956 31 86 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Tin Soe (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Thaung Oo (First-Secretary) |
| SINGAPORE | 15, St MARTIN’S DRIVE, SINGAPORE 257996 Tel : (0065) 7350209. 7351672, 7356576 Fax : (0065) 7356236 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Hla Than (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Ohn Kyaw (Minister Counsellor) |
| SOUTH AFRICA (Pretoria) |
319 MURRAY St. BROOKLYN, PRETORIA P.O. Box 12121, QUEENSWOOD 0121 Tel : 27-12-460 6544, 27-12-460 4333 Fax : 27-12-346 0746 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Kyaw Thu (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Kyaw Thant (Minister Counsellor) |
| SOUTH KOREA (ROK) | Myanmar Embassy, Seoul7323-1,724-1, Hannam dong,Yongsan-ku, Seoul. Tel: 792-3341,796-9858 |
| SRI LANKA (Colombo) |
No. 108 BARNES PLACE, COLOMBO 7 Tel : (94) (1) 681197, 672197 Fax : (94) (1) 681196 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Khin Maung Lay (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Saw Ba Tun (First-Secretary) |
| THAILAND (Bangkok) |
132, SATHORN NUA ROAD, BANGKOK 10500 Tel : (662) 233-2237, 234-4698, 233-7250, 234-0320, 637-9406 Fax : (662) 236-6898 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Myo Myint (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Nyan Lynn (Minister Counsellor) |
| UNITED KINGDOM (UK) (London) |
19A, CHARLES St, LONDON W1J 5DX Tel : 020 7629 6966, 020 7499 8841, 020 7629 4486 Fax : 020 7629 4169 Send EmailHead of Mission: Dr Kyaw Win (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Kyee Myint (Minister Counsellor) |
| USA (Washington D.C) (New York) |
Washington D.C2300 S St. N.W. WASHINGTON D.C 20008 Tel : (202) 332-9044, 332-9049, 332-9045 Fax : (202) 332-9046 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Tin Win (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Aung Linn Htut (Counsellor)New York Permanent Mission of the Union of Myanmar to the United NationsAddress1 : 10 EAST 77TH St. N. Y 10021 Tel : (212) 535-1310, 535-1311 Fax : (21) 737-2421 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Kyaw Tint Swe (Permanent Representative)Deputy Head of Mission: U Zeyar Oo (Deputy Permanent Representative) |
| VIETNAM (Hanoi) |
A-3 (101-104), VANPHUC DIPLOMATIC QUARTERS KIM MA St. Tel : (84-4) 845 3369, 823 2056 Fax : (84-4) 845 2404 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Khin Aung (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Tint Swai (Counsellor) |
| YUGOSLAVIA (Belgrade) |
KNEZA MILOZA 72, BELGRADE 11000 Tel : (381) (11) 645-420, 645-128 Fax : (381) (11) 3614-968 Send EmailHead of Mission: U Kyar Nyo Chit Pe (Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary)Deputy Head of Mission: U Chin Aung (Minister Counsellor) |
Al Jazeera
Troops Surround Myanmar Monasteries
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2007
6:02 MECCA TIME, 3:02 GMT
National League for Democracy-Liberated Area via AP
Myanmar soldiers blocking a road leading to the Swedagon Pagoda in Yangon on Wednesday.
Myanmar’s military rulers have deployed soldiers and riot police around at least six big monasteries in the commercial capital, Yangon, setting the stage for a showdown with determined pro-democracy protesters. Hundreds more security forces were waiting in a city centre park near the Sule Pagoda, the focus of the biggest protests in 20 years.
The move on Wednesday comes a day after the government imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in Yangon and the second biggest city, Mandalay, and banned gatherings of more than five people following mounting pro-democracy demonstrations led by Buddhist monks that have so far been peaceful.
Reuters
A group of monks sitting in protest after being halted by riot policemen and military officials as they attempted to proceed to the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon on Wednesday.
“They are in full battle gear and they have shields and truncheons. Since two or three days, you could see they are rehearsing anti-riot formations,” a South-East Asian diplomat said of the troops deployed around the Sule Pagoda.
Government vehicles mounted with loudspeakers were reported to be patrolling Yangon’s streets saying monks had been ordered not to take part in “secular affairs” and accusing certain elements of trying to instigate unrest.The curfew order cited a legal clause which would allow the protests “to be dispersed by military force”.
Mizzima news/AP
An estimated 50,000-100,000 protesters marched through the streets of Yangon on Monday in the biggest demonstration yet against the military government.
“The protest is not merely for the well-being of people but also for monks struggling for democracy and for people to have an opportunity to determine their own future,” one monk told The Associated Press.
“People do not tolerate the military government any longer.”
Activist arrested
The first known activist rounded up after the curfew was a comedian famed for his anti-government jokes.
Zargana was taken away from his home by authorities shortly after midnight.
Zargana led a committee that provided food and other necessities to protesting monks along with actor Kyaw Thu and poet Aung Way, whose fates were not known.
Reports from inside the country indicated that the government had cut off internet access and there were also unconfirmed reports that Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s democracy leader and Nobel Peace laureate who has been under house arrest, had been moved to prison.
Media orders
Meanwhile, the Burmese Media Association (BMA), a US-based network of Burmese journalists in exile, said private newspapers and magazines in Yangon had been ordered to publish a statement denouncing the protests.
“All journals and periodicals were also ordered by the information ministry to carry an announcement in which we have to state that we are not a part of the association and are not interested in taking part in the protests,” the BMA quoted a journalist inside Myanmar as saying.It added that the military government had warned the media not to participate in the protests or support the protesters.
Maung Maung Myint, the BMA’s president, called the order “a severe violation of personal and media freedom”.
US sanctions
On Tuesday, George Bush, the US president, announced that Washington would tighten sanctions on Myanmar’s military government.
“This morning I’m announcing a series of steps to help bring peaceful change to [Myanmar],” Bush said in a speech to the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.
“The United States will tighten economic sanctions on the leaders of the regime and their financial backers, and we will impose an expanded visa ban on those responsible for the most egregious violations of human rights as well as their family members.”
A source told Reuters on Tuesday that Aung San Suu Kyi, the leader of the opposition National League for Democracy, was moved on Sunday to a prison from her home, where she has been held under house arrest.
On Saturday, police temporarily removed barricades at the end of Aung San Suu Kyi’s street, allowing protesting monks to pass her home.
Aung San Suu Kyi greeted the monks as they passed, but police resumed guarding the entrance to the street soon afterwards.
The moves against the demonstrators come after Brigadier-General Thura Myint Maung, Myanmar’s religious affairs minister, told Buddhist leaders that “action will be taken” to prevent further protests.
“We warn the monks and the people not to participate in protest marches. We will take action under the existing law,” he was quoted as saying.
Human rights groups reported on Monday that government agents had been preparing to infiltrate the protests in order to spark trouble and justify a crackdown.
Irene Khan, the secretary-general for Amnesty International, a human rights organisation, appealed to the UN Security Council to immediately send a mission to Myanmar.
“The high risk of a crackdown against the demonstrators makes it imperative for the international community to act urgently,” Khan said, adding that China, Japan and India had a role to play in ensuring stability in Myanmar.
Myanmar’s monks
About 90 per cent of Myanmar’s population is Buddhist.
At some point in their lives, every Buddhist male is expected to join the monk hood or ‘Sangha’.
Every village or neighbourhood has its own pagoda and monastery, which traditionally serves as the focus for community life and the main centre for education.
In recent years rising levels of poverty have raised demand for the free education provided by the monasteries.
‘Pretext for crackdown’
The London-based Burma Campaign UK said it had a received reports of soldiers ordered to shave their heads, apparently to pose as monks and infiltrate the protests.
“They would start rioting or attacking police, providing the regime with a pretext for a brutal crackdown on protesters,” the group said.
The protests were initially triggered by a massive hike in the price of fuel on August 19, but have developed into a more deeply-rooted outpouring of dissent led by groups of monks.
In the space of a month the protests have become the biggest challenge to Myanmar’s military government in almost two decades.
Charles Petrie of the United Nations’ Development Programme in Myanmar told Al Jazeera the demonstrations were an expression of the frustrations felt by many in the country after years of poverty and hardship.
“The monks have brought out into the open the issues that are of real concern to a significant portion of the population,” he said.
“There is an underlying suffering that is now being expressed.”
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
Al Jazeera
Monks Killed In Myanmar Crackdown
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2007
16:38 MECCA TIME, 13:38 GMT
Police have fired tear gas and warning shots in an effort to break up protests [AFP]
Up to seven people including three monks are reported to have been killed in a violent crackdown on anti-government protests in Myanmar.
Riot police used tear gas and batons to disperse tens of thousands of protesters on Wednesday, bringing swift international condemnation.
A witness in Myanmar’s former capital Yangon said she had seen some monks being beaten as the authorities tried to stop protesters from gathering.
A Myanmar official told AFP news agency: “According to the information that we received, at least three monks were killed.”
Monks targeted
One monk was killed when a gun went off as he tried to wrestle the weapon away from a soldier, while two others were beaten to death, the official said.
His account was confirmed by a second official, who said the toll was based on official reports of incidents that took place around the Shwedagon Pagoda.
Monks are highly revered by Myanmar’s majority Buddhist population.
A witness near the Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon told Al Jazeera that police armed with heavy weapons had blocked all roads leading to the area.
“It looks like there are hundreds of police with tear gas and guns,” she said. “We can still hear the monks and the people chanting.”
Shwedagon, one of Myanmar’s most important spiritual sites, has been a focus on what, until Wednesday, had been peaceful protests.
Other witnesses reported seeing riot police beat their shields with batons as they chased some of the monks and supporters from the scene.
The violence marks the first major action taken by Myanmar authorities after weeks of escalating tensions, raising fears of a repeat of a 1988 crackdown when the military crushed a pro-democracy uprising killing thousands.
The UN Security Council will be meeting on Wednesday to discuss the situation in Myanmar, Bernard Kouchner, the French foreign minister has said.
The White House also said reports of clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces in Myanmar were “troubling” and urged the military government to respect human rights.
Gatherings banned
On Tuesday the ruling military had imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew and banned public gatherings of five or more people.
The move came after more than a week of anti-government protests led by monks across the country – the biggest expression of dissent in the country in almost two decades.
The first-known activist rounded up after the curfew was a popular comedian famed for his anti-government jokes.
Zargana was taken away from his home by authorities shortly after midnight, reports said.
Zargana led a committee that provided food and other necessities to protesting monks along with actor Kyaw Thu and poet Aung Way, whose fates were not known.
Internet access cut
Reports from inside the country indicated that the government had also cut off internet access following the curfew announcement.
There are also unconfirmed reports that Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s democracy leader and Nobel Peace laureate who has been under house arrest, had been moved to prison.
The protests were initially triggered by a massive hike in the price of fuel on August 19, but have developed into a more deeply-rooted outpouring of dissent.
As police turned on monks near the Shwedagon pagoda, witnesses also reported seeing hundreds of soldiers and police deployed in Yangon in a city centre park near the Sule Pagoda, the focus of the biggest protests.
“They are in full battle gear and they have shields and truncheons. Since two or three days, you could see they are rehearsing anti-riot formations,” a South-East Asian diplomat said of the troops deployed around the Sule Pagoda.
Government vehicles mounted with loudspeakers have been patrolling Yangon’s streets saying monks had been ordered not to take part in “secular affairs” and accusing certain elements of trying to instigate unrest.
The curfew order cited a legal clause which would allow the protests “to be dispersed by military force”.
Source: Al Jazeera and agencies</blockquote
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The Irrawaddy News Magazine Online Edition
Rangoon, 9:00 p.m.—Detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi was moved to the notorious Insein prison from her Rangoon lakeside home at University Avenue, the Reuters news agency reported. Meanwhile Britain’s ambassador Mark Canning said in an interview with Reuters that Burma’s defense ministry appeared to be leading the government’s response to the protests, spearheaded by young Buddhist monks. “They both assured me that it would be dealt with in a “correct” fashion, whatever that means,” he said.
Sittwe, Arakan State, 2 p.m.—About 500 monks reciting the “Metta Sutta” (the Buddha’s words on loving kindness) marched through Sittwe Township, Arakan State, on Tuesday afternoon, accompanied by about 8000 protesters, including Muslims. Three monks at the front of the procession held Buddhist flags and alms bowls turned symbolically upside down, according to an eyewitness. The demonstrators also called for democratic reform, the release of political prisoners and a reduction in commodity prices.
Mandalay, 4:30 p.m.—About 10,000 monks from several monasteries in Mandalay marched in a peaceful protest through the city on Tuesday, reciting the “Metta Sutta” (the Buddha’s words on loving kindness), according to an eyewitness. Thousands of residents joined in the procession when it arrived at Mandalay’s famous market, Zay Cho.
Moulmein, Mon State; 1 p.m.—About 1,000 demonstrators, led by 400 monks, took part in a peaceful demonstration through Moulmein on Tuesday afternoon. According to a local witness, monks and abbots from five different monasteries joined the protests for the second day running and the city’s university students also participated in the demonstration immediately after their exams. The monks and citizens of Moulmein began their march at the city’s main market, Zay Gyi and it is estimated that greater numbers will join the monks later today, according to the Mon News Agency.
Kyaukpadaung, Mandalay Division; 12:30 p.m.—About 1500 monks in Kyaukpadaung in Mandalay Division took part in a peaceful demonstration, accompanied by some 10,000 members of the general public, at 12:30 on Tuesday afternoon, according to a monk who was involved in the protest who spoke to The Irrawaddy. The witness said that the monks marched peacefully around the town, reciting the “Paritta Sutta” [a prayer for protection from evil or harm]. No crackdown by the Burmese authorities has been reported and no security guards showed up, said the monk.
Moenyin Township, Kachin State; 1 p.m.—About 50 monks marched through Moenyin Township, in Kachin State, on Tuesday afternoon, reciting the “Metta Sutta” (the Buddha’s words on loving kindness), according to a local resident. There are about 200 monks in residence in Moenyin.
Bamaw Township, Kachin State; 1 p.m.—More than 200 monks marched through Bamaw Township, Kachin State, on Tuesday afternoon, chanting the “Metta Sutta” (the Buddha’s words on loving kindness), a local resident reported. Some members of the National League for Democracy who wanted to join the demonstration were barred by senior monks, the resident said.
Rangoon; 3 p.m.—About 30,000 monks led an estimated 70,000 supporters in a peaceful demonstration through the center of Rangoon. They then gathered around Sule Pagoda and the nearby city hall. During the march, students lifted their own “fighting peacock flag,” a symbol of the struggle against the military regime.
Mandalay; noon—Since early this morning soldiers have been taking up positions near Mandalay’s Yadanabon University, according to witnesses. Maj-Gen Khin Zaw, Chairman of Mandalay Division Peace and Development Council, and Commander of Central Command, was escorted by security guards as he inspected the soldiers around Yadanabon University before he continued on to Masoeyein Monastery. In the morning the streets of Mandalay were covered in pamphlets warning citizens not to get involved in the demonstrations. The pamphlets, believed to have been distributed by the authorities, warned that serious consequences awaited those who participated in the protests and said that in the event of violence, “Buddhist people would suffer.”
Rangoon; 2:30 p.m.—Members of the Committee Representing the People’s Parliament in Burma have released a Read the rest of this entry »
BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific
Burmese protesters defy warning
Burmese protesters defy warning
Monks have called for political prisoners to be freed
Tens of thousands of monks and civilians in Burma’s main city Rangoon have defied military warnings and staged new anti-government protests.Some chanted “we want dialogue”. Others simply shouted “democracy, democracy”.
Earlier, lorries with loudspeakers warned residents that the protests could be “dispersed by military force”.
After the march finished, eyewitnesses told two news agencies they had seen several military trucks moving on Rangoon’s streets.
Reuters reported that eight trucks carrying armed riot police and 11 carrying troops had moved into the city centre.
The security forces stayed in the vehicles while a few hundred people looked on, AFP said.
Tens of thousands of monks and supporters had earlier marched from Shwedagon pagoda into the commercial centre of Rangoon, where they gathered around Sule pagoda and nearby city hall, witnesses told AFP.
Protesters addressed the crowd outside city hall.
“National reconciliation is very important for us… The monks are standing up for the people,” proclaimed poet Aung Way.
One monk told the Associated Press: “People do not tolerate the military government any longer.”
The BBC’s Jonathan Head in Bangkok says monks – who have been spearheading the protest campaign – have been handing out pictures of Burmese independence hero Aung San, the deceased father of detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
They were also carrying flags, including some bearing the image of a fighting peacock used by students during the 1988 pro-democracy uprising, witnesses told Reuters.
Students were also openly marching, says the BBC Burmese Service. In earlier marches they had simply formed a chain and clapped.
PROTESTS MOUNT
15 Aug: Junta doubles fuel prices, sparking protests
5 Sept: Troops injure several monks at a protest in Pakokku
17 Sept: The junta’s failure to apologise for the injuries draws fresh protests by monks
18-21 Sept: Daily marches by monks in Burmese cities gradually gather in size
22 Sept: 1,000 monks march to the home of Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon
23 Sept: Up to 20,000 march in Rangoon
24 Sept: New Rangoon march draws at least 50,000 and 24 other towns join in
“Some students are in the middle of exams at this time,” one of the students told the BBC. “But they have left their exam rooms and come out onto the streets, joining hands with the public, fighting for the country under the guidance of the monks.”
The junta, which violently repressed the 1988 protests killing some 3,000 people, finally broke its silence over the mounting protests late on Monday, saying it was ready to “take action” against the monks.
It repeated the warning on state media, ordering monks not to get involved in politics and accusing them of allowing themselves to be manipulated by the foreign media.
International reaction
At the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged Burma’s rulers to exercise restraint in the face of the growing protests.
US President George W Bush is to use his speech – due shortly – to announce further sanctions against Burma’s ruling military junta, the White House has said.
The US is hoping it will encourage other nations to act and embolden the protesters on Burma’s streets, says the BBC’s Jonathan Beale in Washington.
Close neighbour China called for “stability”, and the European Union has also urged the junta to show the “utmost restraint” and to take the opportunity to “launch a process of real political reform”.
The exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, has given his backing to the monks’ call for freedom and democracy.
The protests were triggered by the government’s decision to double the price of fuel last month, hitting people hard in the impoverished nation.
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Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/asia-pacific/7011655.stm
Published: 2007/09/25 13:38:15 GMT
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