About 1,000 monks marched to Sule Pagoda in downtown Rangoon on Wednesday where they gave political speeches to thousands of people crowded into the pagoda area, according to eyewitnesses.
“We are marching for the relief of poverty and hardships of the people," said a monk in his afternoon speech. "Burma is backward in every aspect. The military regime is responsible for all of that.”
“Even if our protesting monks are arrested, we will continue,” the monk said. Several monks made speeches during the second day of the monks' demonstration at the pagoda.
Observers said the crowd may have been as large as 10,000 people. Monks were offered water and cold drinks. The demonstration ended peacefully about 4:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, the military regime admitted on Wednesday in The New Light of Myanmar, a state-run newspaper, that authorities used tear gas to break up a demonstration in Sittwe in Arakan State because, the story claimed, monks and protesters attacked authorities.
The newspaper reported that protesters threw stones and sticks at officials, but the officials did not react. Later, officials “gently persuaded” demonstrators to disperse, according to the official account.
The newspaper said “some protesters, including six monks holding sticks and swords, hit the officials with their weapons.”
Some officials were injured, the paper said, and to control the situation, officials threw a tear gas canister into the demonstrators and fired more than ten shots into the air.
However, an abbot at Myoma Monastery in Sittwe told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that the protesting monks marched with empty hands and did not carry weapons.
Witnesses in Sittwe said that they did not see any monks attack authorities. Four monks were detained for a few hours.
On Wednesday, about 800 monks in Sittwe staged a peaceful follow-up demonstration by marching to a local police station where they sat down and called for the release of three citizens who were arrested on August 28 for providing drinking water to monks who were demonstrating over the hike in fuel prices.
In other areas, monks in townships and cities including Pegu Division and Mandalay Division conducted peaceful demonstrations on Wednesday while reciting the “Metta Sutta” (the Buddha’s words on loving kindness), according to monks and local residents.
On Tuesday, monks enacted a “patam nikkujjana kamma,” a refusal to accept alms from the military regime and its supporters. The ban came after a call by The Alliance of All Burmese Buddhist Monks for the regime to issue an apology by September 17 for its violent crackdown on monks in Pakokku in Magwe Division on September 5.
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Crowds turning out to support monks at Rangoon’s Sule Pagoda |
“Even if our protesting monks are arrested, we will continue,” the monk said. Several monks made speeches during the second day of the monks' demonstration at the pagoda.
Observers said the crowd may have been as large as 10,000 people. Monks were offered water and cold drinks. The demonstration ended peacefully about 4:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, the military regime admitted on Wednesday in The New Light of Myanmar, a state-run newspaper, that authorities used tear gas to break up a demonstration in Sittwe in Arakan State because, the story claimed, monks and protesters attacked authorities.
The newspaper reported that protesters threw stones and sticks at officials, but the officials did not react. Later, officials “gently persuaded” demonstrators to disperse, according to the official account.
The newspaper said “some protesters, including six monks holding sticks and swords, hit the officials with their weapons.”
Some officials were injured, the paper said, and to control the situation, officials threw a tear gas canister into the demonstrators and fired more than ten shots into the air.
However, an abbot at Myoma Monastery in Sittwe told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that the protesting monks marched with empty hands and did not carry weapons.
Witnesses in Sittwe said that they did not see any monks attack authorities. Four monks were detained for a few hours.
On Wednesday, about 800 monks in Sittwe staged a peaceful follow-up demonstration by marching to a local police station where they sat down and called for the release of three citizens who were arrested on August 28 for providing drinking water to monks who were demonstrating over the hike in fuel prices.
In other areas, monks in townships and cities including Pegu Division and Mandalay Division conducted peaceful demonstrations on Wednesday while reciting the “Metta Sutta” (the Buddha’s words on loving kindness), according to monks and local residents.
On Tuesday, monks enacted a “patam nikkujjana kamma,” a refusal to accept alms from the military regime and its supporters. The ban came after a call by The Alliance of All Burmese Buddhist Monks for the regime to issue an apology by September 17 for its violent crackdown on monks in Pakokku in Magwe Division on September 5.
