Thousands Of Monks Protest Against Burma's Military Government

Mayur Pahilajani - AHN News Writer

Myanmar, Burma (AHN) - More than two thousand Buddhist monks marched through the streets in Myanmar on Saturday, the sixth day of anti-military government protests. The demonstrators marched and prayed in rain as they sought to continue their protests until the military regime collapses.

Protests were taking place in almost seven different towns across Burma including Mandalay and Rangoon where large number of monks had gathered to participate in the rally.

According to reports, one of the main reasons of the protest was the sudden doubling of fuel prices last month.

Additionally, an underground Buddhist group, The Alliance of All Burmese Buddhist Monks, showing their support for the protest, has called for nationwide prayer vigils. "We ask every citizen to join our vigils," a spokesman from the Buddhist group told AFP.

The vigil will begin Sunday and continue for three days for 15 minutes at 8:00 p.m. each night, the spokesman told AFP. The citizens were asked to stand outside their homes to pray during the vigil.

Burma's ruler cannot stand against the monks publicly because of fear it will enrage the citizens, according to BBC News.

Win Min, a Thai-based Myanmar analyst, said to AFP, "Monks are representing people's sufferings. They want the junta to address economic issues. [And] the anti-junta movement is certainly gaining momentum because the sheer number of monks has risen sharply over the past week."

Moreover, no signs of violence were reported. The organizers of the demonstration were determined to continue their protests peacefully, reports say.

U.S. And Britain Accused By Myanmar Of Supporting Protesters

September 9, 2007 10:38 a.m. EST
Preciosa Dumlao - AHN Writer

Yangon, Myanmar (AHN) - Myanmar's pro-democracy supporters on Sunday accused the United States and Britain of trying to topple the government by backing rare anti-government protests.

The government of Myanmar has experienced three weeks of non-stop daily protests by pro-democracy supporters all over the country. They have protested over higher fuel prices since last month.

A newspaper in Myanmar accused Britain and U.S. of supporting the rallyists.

"They are aiding and abetting above-ground destructive elements inside the country," the New Light of Myanmar newspaper said Sunday, according to AFP reports.

"They are using national traitors in exile, left-wing and right-wing political groups and insurgent remnants at the border by giving them all necessary assistance," it said.

"It is crystal clear that seeking its self-interest, the US is resorting to various ways including the way of transformational diplomacy to break up our Union, to weaken national consolidation, to put the country under colonial rule and to install a puppet government," the paper added.

According to Amnesty International, there are over 150 people who have been arrested because of participating in the rare protests since last month.

Observers also noticed that demonstrators grew, especially last week when Buddhist monks held 20 government officials hostage at a monastery in central Myanmar.

U.N. Envoy Says Recent Crackdown By Myanmar Is 'Setback' To Democracy

Siddique Islam - AHN South Asia Correspondent

New York, NY (AHN) - The recent crackdown by Myanmar's government on demonstrators protesting fuel prices is a setback for the country and calls into question the government's commitment to democratization, the United Nations envoy to the country said on Wednesday as he detailed plans to revisit Myanmar as early as next month.

Speaking to reporters in New York, Special Adviser on Myanmar Ibrahim Gambari reiterated the call of UN officials for the government to release all of its political detainees, including those people arrested in the past few weeks as a result of the demonstrations over the surge in fuel prices.

"These incidents of recent times cannot be seen in any other way than a setback for Myanmar," Gambari said, referring to the government's response to the protests.

"They are all the more disappointing as they not only have the effect of calling into question the stated commitment to democratization and national reconciliation by the authorities, but also make it more difficult to maintain support, international support, for engagement with Myanmar at a time when we believe strongly that the country needs international assistance in addressing the many pressing challenges, from political and human rights issues to humanitarian and socio-economic problems."

Burma, officially known as Myanmar, has been widely criticized for its human rights violations including the continued house arrest of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi. The country has been under military control since 1962.

The UN envoy also described the national convention process, the first step under the road map outlined by the government for political reform, as flawed, given that it excluded opponents of the government.

Gambari, who has held extensive consultations in capitals across Asia, Europe and North America since assuming his post earlier this year, said he expects his next visit to Myanmar could took place by mid-October.

The special adviser noted that the UN is the only international actor to maintain a face-to-face dialogue with Myanmar's top leaders and with Aung San Suu Kyi, the opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate who remains under house arrest. For three years, there was no dialogue between the international community and Myanmar.

Gambari also said the UN is focusing its efforts on a much broader range of issues than before - not only the release of political prisoners, but also questions of humanitarian access and progress towards implementing the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), particularly in health and education.