Mandalay monk slams junta on demonstration crackdown

Irrawaddy: - Shah Paung
Wed 29 Aug 2007

The violent crackdown on demonstrations by Burma’s ruling junta following a steep rise in fuel prices drew criticism on Wednesday from a senior monk in Mandalay.

“It is like we [Burmese] are daubed with soot and fight against each other,” a senior monk from the Ma Soe Yein Monastery in Mandalay told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday on condition of anonymity.

The monk was referring to the government’s use of plainclothes officials and pro-government civilians to bully and detain protesters during peaceful demonstrations intended to express their dissatisfaction over fuel price hikes and the resulting spike in transportation and commodity costs.

“If the government doesn’t have the skills or ability to do something, it should hand power over to someone who can,” the monk said.

So far, there have been no demonstrations or associated violence in Mandalay, according to the monk. He added that if there were, the city’s monks would not be silent or stand idly by.

“For the benefit of the people, monks will not ignore the true,” the monk said. “Everyone wants to see our country develop. We will do what we should do if the opportunity arises.”

The monk’s criticism of the government followed a request on Sunday by Maj-Gen Khin Zaw, the Burmese military commander of Mandalay Division, that the city’s monks avoid participating in or supporting the recent demonstrations.

Throughout Burmese history, the country’s monks have taken an active role in political dissent and public efforts to stand up for the needs of the people.

On Tuesday, about 200 monks in Sittwe in western Arakan State staged a peaceful demonstration by marching for several hours through the city. The protest ended peacefully and without interference from local authorities or their civilian proxies.

A resident in Sittwe told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that two men were arrested by authorities for providing drinking water to monks during the demonstration.

Since August 19, members of the pro-democracy 88 Generation Students group and the National League for Democracy have led several small protests in Rangoon and other cities across Burma to express their outrage over a massive rise in fuel prices as well as a concurrent rise in the cost of commodities and transportation fees.