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| Southeast Asia |
| Myanmar monks take officials hostage |
| 2007-09-07 |
| Hundreds of Buddhist monks took a group of local and security officials hostage at their monastery Thursday, one day after troops violently broke up an anti-junta protest, residents told AFP Thursday. The showdown in Pakokku, about 500 kilometres north of the commercial capital Yangon, marked the most serious confrontation with the military government since protests erupted nationwide more than two weeks ago. Tensions have soared in Pakokku, a major centre of Buddhist learning in Myanmar, since at least 300 monks marched through the streets on Wednesday, chanting prayers in a protest against a massive hike in fuel prices. Troops fired warning shots above the crowd and then beat the monks with bamboo sticks to break up the protest, according to residents. Local and security officials had come to the Aletaik monastery early Thursday to apologise for the violence, but the monks set four of their cars on fire and took about 20 people hostage, residents said. Five of the hostages were released after about five hours, but the others remained inside the monastery, residents told AFP by telephone. Outside the gates to the monastery, which is home to about 700 monks, hundreds of people had gathered to applaud their anti-government action, residents said. The regional military commander arrived in Pakokku in the afternoon, but had apparently not yet made direct contact with the monks, they said. “I fully support the monks. They were just peacefully praying for the people. The monks are absolutely right,” one resident said. “I’m surprised that these security people would dare to harm Buddhist monks in this country.” Pakokku is home to an estimated 10,000 young monks studying in more than 80 monasteries, according to Win Min, a Thailand-based analyst. UN criticises Myanmar: Accusing Myanmar of crushing dissent, a senior UN official said on Wednesday the southeast Asian country’s recent national convention to draw up a constitution was undemocratic and exclusionary. Still, Undersecretary-General Ibrahim Gambari, the UN point man for Myanmar, formerly Burma, hoped that the country’s Asian neighbours could put pressure on the ruling junta. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 So I take it we can't joke about buddhist extremists any more, someone actually found some. |
| Posted by: Abdominal Snowman 2007-09-07 09:29 |