|
Monks in Myanmar mark crackdown anniversary
 YANGON, Myanmar (AP) -- About 100 Buddhist monks in a western Myanmar city staged a peaceful protest march Saturday to mark the anniversary of last year's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators.Meanwhile, in the country's biggest city, Yangon, recently released political prisoners helped celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the party led by detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, while police and other security personnel kept a close watch. No protests directly related to the crackdown anniversary were noted in Yangon, where last year's demonstrations attracted up to 100,000 people. The junta put down the protests with force, killing at least 31 people and detaining thousands. But in the western port city of Sittwe, about 100 Buddhist monks marched peacefully in a heavy rain for about 30 minutes, according to witnesses who asked not to be named for fear of being harassed by the authorities. The monks' march took the form of their morning round of begging for alms, but it is widely understood that such a large number of monks marching in an organized fashion represents a veiled protest. Thein Hlaing, vice chairman of the dissident National League for Democracy Arakan, said one of the monks who organized the march told him it was staged to mark the anniversary of the crackdown and to recall those people killed or detained during it. Buddhist monks spearheaded last year's protests. Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine state in western Myanmar, is known for its strong anti-military sentiment. It was the city where Buddhist monks first joined anti-junta rallies that swelled into nationwide protests last September. In Yangon, witnesses said three to six members of the National League for Democracy who were walking to the party's headquarters for its founding anniversary celebration were detained by a vigilante group that acts as security auxiliaries for the ruling military junta. Party officials said the members were forced into a truck and taken to their homes. Posted by: Steve White 2008-09-28 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=251212 |