The military government has no conscience and it’s cruel. It has no heart or sympathy for its own people—not even respect for the monks.
The government’s forces beat and shot peaceful demonstrators and monks, killing and injuring many of them.
Soldiers look into the innocent faces of peaceful demonstrators and shoot them in cold blood.
During the night from Wednesday to Thursday, hundreds of soldiers, riot police and members of the pro-junta paramilitary organization Union Solidarity and Development Association raided several monasteries in Rangoon and beat and arrested hundreds of monks, novices and others.
One of the raided monasteries, Maggin, has become a refuge for HIV/AIDS patients after the authorities launched a manhunt for those taking care of them when they took part in the recent demonstrations against the sharp rises in fuel prices and other commodities. The abbot and four senior monks, two of them over 80, were arrested, along with four other people found at the monastery.
The HIV/AIDS patients live in one of two buildings at the monastery. “We and the novices now feel dejected,” said one. “We have no one to taking care of us. The novices share their alms with us.”
A novice tries to console him. “Phone Phone [Senior Monks] will be back tonight.”
The patient is doubtful. “How can we know?”
The novice says: “I think if Phone Phone convince them [the authorities] that they are innocent they will be released.”
“We believe the monks are innocent,” the patient replies. “But we do not know how they [authorities] think, and why they arrested the monks.”
This exchange was recounted to The Irrawaddy by telephone on Thursday.
The patient said he awoke at midnight to the sound of whistling and movement outside. He went to the window and saw many uniformed soldiers in the monastery compound, carrying guns and batons.
The soldiers walked through the monastery in their combat boots, kicking novices awake. They poked the abbot awake with a baton.
The soldiers then entered the building housing the HIV/AIDS patients. The patients were at first mishandled but were then released after showing documents confirming they were receiving treatment.
“None of us dared to speak out,” the patient said.
“They looked as if they would kill anyone who spoke out. I was afraid and didn’t dare to move. I am also very afraid of them and dare not to move. They looked evil and ready to kill.”
The government’s forces beat and shot peaceful demonstrators and monks, killing and injuring many of them.
Soldiers look into the innocent faces of peaceful demonstrators and shoot them in cold blood.
During the night from Wednesday to Thursday, hundreds of soldiers, riot police and members of the pro-junta paramilitary organization Union Solidarity and Development Association raided several monasteries in Rangoon and beat and arrested hundreds of monks, novices and others.
One of the raided monasteries, Maggin, has become a refuge for HIV/AIDS patients after the authorities launched a manhunt for those taking care of them when they took part in the recent demonstrations against the sharp rises in fuel prices and other commodities. The abbot and four senior monks, two of them over 80, were arrested, along with four other people found at the monastery.
The HIV/AIDS patients live in one of two buildings at the monastery. “We and the novices now feel dejected,” said one. “We have no one to taking care of us. The novices share their alms with us.”
A novice tries to console him. “Phone Phone [Senior Monks] will be back tonight.”
The patient is doubtful. “How can we know?”
The novice says: “I think if Phone Phone convince them [the authorities] that they are innocent they will be released.”
“We believe the monks are innocent,” the patient replies. “But we do not know how they [authorities] think, and why they arrested the monks.”
This exchange was recounted to The Irrawaddy by telephone on Thursday.
The patient said he awoke at midnight to the sound of whistling and movement outside. He went to the window and saw many uniformed soldiers in the monastery compound, carrying guns and batons.
The soldiers walked through the monastery in their combat boots, kicking novices awake. They poked the abbot awake with a baton.
The soldiers then entered the building housing the HIV/AIDS patients. The patients were at first mishandled but were then released after showing documents confirming they were receiving treatment.
“None of us dared to speak out,” the patient said.
“They looked as if they would kill anyone who spoke out. I was afraid and didn’t dare to move. I am also very afraid of them and dare not to move. They looked evil and ready to kill.”
