Monks march in Burma

[SisterMidnight]

Burma march 'largest in 20 years'

Burma's largest anti-government protest in nearly two decades has taken place in the former capital Rangoon, led by Buddhist monks and nuns.

Up to 20,000 people took to the streets on the seventh day of protests calling for an end to the "evil dictatorship".

Unlike a day earlier, police barred a group of monks from entering the road that leads to the home of detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The rallies began last month when the government doubled fuel prices.

BBC South Asia correspondent Jonathan Head says every day the protests are growing in size - the campaign the monks began just six days ago is now openly challenging the military, urging all citizens to join in.

Barricades

A huge column of demonstrators made its way through the heart of the city, following an identical route to that used during the failed anti-military uprising in 1988.

There are no exact figures but the rally was estimated to be 20,000 strong.

Our correspondent says the mood was relaxed, even euphoric, with thousands of civilians joining Buddhist monks and nuns, and chanting the key demands of this campaign - reconciliation with the opposition, the release of political prisoners and lower prices.

Apparently unsure what to do, the security forces appear to be standing back for the moment and the next act in the drama is impossible to predict, says our correspondent.

Speaking on the sidelines of a UN meeting, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said America was "watching very carefully" the protests and denounced Burma's "brutal regime".

"The Burmese people deserve better. They deserve the right to be able to live in freedom, just as everyone does."

The head of regional grouping Asean, Ong Keng Yong said he hoped the Burmese authorities would not take any strong action "and turn the protests into a big confrontation".

Ms Suu Kyi emerged tearfully on Saturday from the home where she has been under house arrest since 2003 to pray with the monks, after they were allowed through a roadblock.

But on Sunday the barricades were firmly back in place and there was a heavy security presence near the democracy icon's home to prevent a repeat protest march past.

Prayer vigils

Witnesses said the crowds formed a protective human chain, as the monks and nuns set off from Burma's most famous landmark, the revered Shwedagon Pagoda.

Some demonstrators chanted "Release Suu Kyi" as they continued to the nearby Sule Pagoda, before passing the US embassy.

Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Ms Suu Kyi has spent 11 of the last 18 years in detention.

In 1990 her party won national elections, but these were annulled by the army and she was never allowed to take office.

On Friday, the Alliance of All Burmese Buddhist Monks, which is leading the demonstrations, vowed to continue until they had "wiped the military dictatorship from the land".

The monks have urged the Burmese people to hold prayer vigils in their doorways for 15 minutes at 2000 (1330 GMT) on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

Scores of nuns joined more than 2,000 monks in prayer on Sunday at the Shwedagon Pagoda, before marching to the centre of Rangoon.

LINK


Ms Suu Kyi can be seen behind the police greeting protesters


Monk leaders spoke at Shwedagon Pagoda during a protest against Burma's military government on Sunday. About 10,000 monks, nuns, and citizens demonstrated in Rangoon.


The Shwedagon Pagoda in Rangoon was a rallying point for pro-democracy activists in 1988. On Sunday, thousands of monks, and nuns (in pink), gathered to pray at the site.

[Wheels]

Let's hope change is finally starting.

UPDATE:
An estimated 100,000 people joined Buddhist monks today in the biggest public protest to hit Burma's streets for decades.

Demonstrators marched across Rangoon in the largest anti-government protest since a 1988 uprising that was crushed by the military.

One Southeast Asian diplomat said the regime was under pressure from China to avoid a crackdown.

"The Rangoon government is tolerating the protesters and not taking any action against the monks because of pressure from China," the diplomat told The Associated Press. "Beijing is to host the next summer's Olympic Games. Everyone knows that China is the major supporter of the junta so if government takes any action it will affect the image of China."

[cille]

Looks beautiful with all the people dressed in red, like a vein.

I really hope these protests will lead to something positive and in a peaceful way.

[Wheels]

UPDATE:
It prompted the Burmese military government, which has been unusually muted in its response to the demonstrations, finally to speak out.

Religious affairs minister Brigadier General Thura Myint Maung warned that unless senior monks reined in their juniors who are leading the protests, the state would take action.

[Wheels]

BBC are reporting that the Burmese military have ordered soldiers to shave their heads... and ordered monk robes... The theory is that they will dress soldiers up as monks and attack them... then blaming the monks themselves!!

[Cali]

The situation seems to be getting critical over there. Let's hope for the best.

I just got this email.

Dear friends of human rights,

Hi, this is Jeremy Woodrum writing from the US Campaign for Burma. As you probably know, the situation in Burma has reached a boiling point. Yesterday, 200,000 people marched throughout Burma calling for human rights and democracy. The marches were led by Buddhist monks, the most revered people inside Burma.

We NEED YOUR HELP TODAY. People inside Burma are putting their lives on the line for values that we share.

We are working as hard as we can to keep this issue in the news and press the UN Security Council to take action. So far, China is completely undermining and paralyzing the UN -- stopping it from doing its job. The UN is now making the same mistakes it made on Darfur and Rwanda -- doing virtually nothing while a country burns.

We greatly fear a massive crackdown inside Burma. The last time people marched in these numbers the regime gunned down 10,000 peaceful demonstrators. We have received credible news that the regime is ordering some of its soldiers to shave their hands so they can impersonate monks and incite violence, which would be used to justify a crackdown by military troops.

We are URGENTLY asking for your strong financial support. Our phones are ringing off the hook and we are doing everything in our power to keep international attention focused on Burma.

Please please go online and make a donation today to help our work. We are running urgently short on funds during this critical time and we ask you to be as generous as you can. If you don't have money, put the donation on your credit card and consider it an investment in human rights.

We're working as hard as we can, but we need your help -- please donate as much as you can today. Donations of $5,000 --- $1,000 -- or $500 are needed: http://www.uscampaignforburma.org/join/joinnow.html

If you can't give that much, do what you can, but please do all that you can.

For human rights,

Jeremy Woodrum

[mucker]

We pray, in the quiet corners of our hearts, all full of knots and nots, that all singers of love songs celebrating our fragile paths can just sing out, be they Buddhist chants or the quiet murmurs of lovers.
How dangerous is Love?
How threatening is Tenderness?.....Ask the Powers that be.
"Cold, cold water surrounds me now".

Walk, sit, chant, love. How terrifying is that?

[Wheels]

After midnight, security forces arrested Myint Thein, the spokesman for opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s political party, family members said.

Unconfirmed reports said other members of the National League for Democracy were also arrested.

[Wheels]

FLASH:
Reports of soldiers firing automatic weapons into crowds in Rangoon...



SkyNews ticker reporting:

Shots fired over the heads of 70,000 protestors in Rangoon today

Japanese embassy confirms one citizen dead, believed to be a photographer.

[Wheels]

Euronews showing footage of protests in Seol, Thailand, and Sydney in support of the Burmese people.

[Wheels]

Official state TV now says 9 dead... so could be a lot higher. And with probably thousands now in prison... who know's what they're going through!

[Cali]

you're right whells, it all comes down to money, it's absolutely disgusting


9 have died including the japanese photographer.

yesterday russian and china voted against a resolution by the un's security council that "condemned" the actions of the burmese government, the security council needs a unanimous vote.

pictures (they're very graphic)

link
link

[mucker]

The young Monks chant the Metta Sutta, and sit before the "Troops". How threatening is this? Russia and China and Thailand (another supposed Buddhist country) hedge on condemnation of the Monks. $$$ speaks louder than the Human Heart (see the Soap Opera called "Bush in Iraq"). The Metta Sutta? A part herein to give just cause to the violence therein.
Posted here because a quiet lil Irish Poet sang me a couple tunes.
Behold the growing threat from those pesky threatening Buddhists:

"Let none deceive another,
Or despise any being in any state.
Let none through anger or ill-will
Wish harm upon another.
Even as a mother protects with her life
Her child, her only child,
So with a boundless heart
Should one cherish all living beings:
Radiating kindness over the entire world
Spreading upwards to the skies,
And downwards to the depths;
Outwards and unbounded,
Freed from hatred and ill-will."

Pretty subversive stuff!
Walk in Peace.

[Timeé]

Lets hope the UN arent as stoned as the individual above me ^

[Lindsay]

Here's an article about current diplomatic efforts:

A United Nations envoy arrived in Burma on Saturday with hopes of convincing the ruling military junta to ease its violent response to massive demonstrations.

Ibrahim Gambari landed at Rangoon airport where he was brought up to speed by UN officials before expected meetings with the junta's military leaders in Naypyitaw.

Meanwhile, the streets of Rangoon and Madalay were quiet Saturday after days of riots and violence between troops and pro-democracy demonstrators -- suggesting protesters' challenge to the junta was losing momentum.

There was a heavy military presence in the nation's two largest cities, with soldiers stationed on nearly every corner, The Associated Press reports.

Gambari's schedule was set by the ruling junta and wasn't expected to include meetings with leaders of the pro-democracy movement, such as Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who is under house arrest.

Still, Gambari said: "I expect to meet all the people that I need to meet."

Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo described Gambari's trip as vital for stability in the nation.

"If he fails then the situation can become quite dreadful," Yeo told AP.

He held out hope that the envoy could help the two sides reach "national reconciliation."

However, some protesters suggested the junta's violent response to the protests -- 10 people were killed this week -- had driven the two sides too far apart, and eliminated all hopes of a compromise.

>>article cont'd here http://news.sympatico.msn.ctv.ca/Top...s_burma_070929

Originally Posted by mucker

The young Monks chant the Metta Sutta, and sit before the "Troops". How threatening is this?

Ya, I agree....regardless if protesters are being "unlawful", the force used against them is surely far too extreme considering the threat the pose.

[audity]

Aung San Suu Kyi is not in Insein. According to pro-democracy sources inside Burma, Suu Kyi is being held in a military camp on the outskirts of Yangon and not in Insein prison.