People around the world planned to march Saturday to protest Burma's brutal crackdown on pro-democracy activists, as the military regime admitted hundreds of Buddhist monks were detained after troops turned their guns on last week's peaceful uprising.
Hoping to send a message to the junta that "the world is still watching," rights group Amnesty International called for a global demonstration in cities across Asia, Europe and North America. Protests were planned in at least a dozen countries, including Australia, Thailand, Malaysia, Austria, Belgium, France, England, the United States and Canada.
The junta's treatment of the Buddhist monks—who are revered in this deeply religious nation and led the street protests—is a key issue that could further inflame the people of Burma and anger soldiers loyal to the military rulers.
The government insisted most of the monks it detained had already been freed, with only 109 still in custody, according to an official statement broadcast Friday night on state TV. The report noted the junta was still hunting for four more monks it believed were ringleaders of the rallies.
Demonstrations that began in mid-August over a fuel price increase swelled into Burma's largest anti-government protests in 19 years, inspired largely by the thousands of monks who poured into the streets.
Television images last week showed soldiers shooting into crowds of unarmed protesters—but the government described the troops' reaction as "systematically controlling" the protesters.
The government says 10 people were killed in the September 26-27 crackdown and 2,100 were detained. But dissident groups put the death toll at more than 200 and the number of detainees at nearly 6,000.
Friday's state media report said Burma troops searched 18 monasteries where alleged rogue monks were living. Initially, authorities detained 513 monks, one novice, 167 men and 30 women lay disciples from the monasteries, but most were released after "careful scrutiny," it said.
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| Protesters hold candles during a rally against |
The junta's treatment of the Buddhist monks—who are revered in this deeply religious nation and led the street protests—is a key issue that could further inflame the people of Burma and anger soldiers loyal to the military rulers.
The government insisted most of the monks it detained had already been freed, with only 109 still in custody, according to an official statement broadcast Friday night on state TV. The report noted the junta was still hunting for four more monks it believed were ringleaders of the rallies.
Demonstrations that began in mid-August over a fuel price increase swelled into Burma's largest anti-government protests in 19 years, inspired largely by the thousands of monks who poured into the streets.
Television images last week showed soldiers shooting into crowds of unarmed protesters—but the government described the troops' reaction as "systematically controlling" the protesters.
The government says 10 people were killed in the September 26-27 crackdown and 2,100 were detained. But dissident groups put the death toll at more than 200 and the number of detainees at nearly 6,000.
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| An activist from Amnesty International holds placards during a rally in conjunction with "Global Day of Action" in |
Now only 109 monks and nine other men were still being questioned, it said.
A government official met senior Buddhist monks Friday in Rangoon, the country's main city, and asked them to "expose four monks who are at large," the report said.
The visit aimed to show ordinary people the ruling generals still had high regard for the Buddhist clergy, despite a crackdown that targeted monks.
The military has ruled Burma since 1962. The current junta came to power after routing a 1988 pro-democracy uprising, killing at least 3,000 people. Suu Kyi's party won elections in 1990, but the generals refused to accept the results.
Suu Kyi, who has spent nearly 12 of the last 18 years under house arrest, won the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize for her democracy campaign.
Sixty Nobel laureates added their voices to the global outcry over the Burma crisis, saying they were "outraged" by the "ongoing violent repression" of monks and other citizens.
In a statement issued by The Elie Weisel Foundation, the Nobel laureates called on the international community, particularly China, Russia and India—who have been competing for Burma's bountiful oil and gas resources—to use their influence to secure democracy in Burma and the release of Suu Kyi.
