Burma regime cracks down on protesting monks
As feared, the military regime that controls Myanmar (Burma) has begun to forcefully crack down on peacefully protesting monks. While foreign journalists are banned, some photos of protests this week are showing up on Flickr, and protest video footage is available on news sites like Democratic Voice of Burma (based in Norway, run by Burmese expats, see Wikipedia).
Shown here, a shot uploaded to Flickr yesterday by "gmhembree" -- "A monk bleeds from his head where he was beaten during the clash with police. This is on U Thaung Po road, east of Shwedagon." More photos here, and a search for "Burma" plus "monk" yields more.
Snip from BBC item:
Several thousand Burmese monks and other protesters have begun new marches in Rangoon despite a bloody crackdown by police at the city's holiest shrine.And (yesterday) BoingBoing reader Rick told us,Police beat and arrested demonstrators at Shwedagon Pagoda and warning shots were fired at another site as a ninth day of marching got under way.
One march started for the city centre while another headed for the home of opposition head Aung San Suu Kyi. Police and troops are surrounding key Buddhist sites around the city. Analysts fear a repeat of the violence in 1988, when troops opened fire on unarmed protesters, killing thousands.
The Burma campaign's sources in Rangoon say soldiers have been ordered to shave their heads and 3,000 monks' robes have been bought so that the military could infiltrate the protesters, spark violence and the Junta can launch a crackdown.Below, another snapshot of protests before the military attacked, by Flickr user racoles.
(Thanks, John Parres)
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If they start beating down on monks, that may cause a general uprising. Where is the US in this? Talk about a chance to actually help people that do really want their freedom. I have the feeling we don't have many free naval resources available to bring into the area. Its nice how this waste in Iraq has tied us down elsewhere.
Sangham saranam gacchami.
Thanks for covering this Xeni, worldwide attention may just stay SLORC's hand.
That the protests are occurring is a testament to the courage of the participants (and no doubt to the desperation of the situation in Burma), given the lengths to which this regime will go to suppress dissent.
The fact that monks are at the center of the protests complicates things for the regime, because they have gone to great lengths to attempt to co-opt Buddhism for their own political purposes.
The tactic of disguising soldiers as monks is not a new tactic, I have been told. They also did this in the wake of the 1988 uprising.
As for the monks themselves, they are taking tremendous personal risks, even though their revered positions in Burmese society would give them more latitude than those of average people. This regime is notorious for using every dirty trick in the book, from hiring thugs to attack Daw Aung San Suu Kyi during her last tour of Burma, to disguising soldiers as monks. The conditions at the notorious Insein Prison outside of Rangoon are well known by everyone in Burma.
As for international pressure, it will need to come from India and China, since they are the countries with the most leverage in Burma. Thailand also would have an important role.
But I would not expect public Western pressure to have much direct effect on the generals, who have kept Daw Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest since 1991 despite frequent international protest and the fact that she received the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize.
This regime is isolated in the extreme and works from its own internal logic. As an example, they are in the process of constructing a new capital in an isolated part of the country. The new location is so isolated, that Burmese refer to it as "a place too boring for the boring." The stated reason they are doing this is because an astrologer told them to.
So speeches from the UN aren't likely to have much effect. Behind-the-scenes sweet-talking and arm-twisting by the Indian and Chinese governments (with a fair amount of sweet-talking from the Thais) might help, and that's where the real influence needs to come from in this situation.
This regime is isolated in the extreme and works from its own internal logic. As an example, they are in the process of constructing a new capital in an isolated part of the country. The new location is so isolated, that Burmese refer to it as "a place too boring for the boring." The stated reason they are doing this is because an astrologer told them to.
...Ponder this: an isolated capitol = easier to cut off from supply lines prior to conquering and eliminating. Ergo, let them move into their enclave where they'll be all nice and bottled up!
"As an example, they are in the process of constructing a new capital in an isolated part of the country. The new location is so isolated, that Burmese refer to it as "a place too boring for the boring." The stated reason they are doing this is because an astrologer told them to."
... Sounds just like the capitals of Brazil, Australia and Pakistan -- to name but a few.