Buddhist monks in western Myanmar march to commemorate anniversary of army crackdown
Members of Myanmar's opposition party, the National League for Democracy, look on during ceremonies Saturday, 9/272/08, in Yangon, Myanmar. About 350 people gathered on today to remember the 20th anniversary of the founding party of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi (AP Photo).
YANGON, Myanmar (AP, 9/27/08) -- About 100 Buddhist monks in a western Myanmar city staged a peaceful protest march Saturday to mark the anniversary of last year's bloody crackdown on pro-democracy demonstrators.
Meanwhile, in the country's biggest city, Yangon, recently released political prisoners helped celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the party led by detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, while police and other security personnel kept a close watch.
No protests directly related to the crackdown anniversary were noted in Yangon, where last year's demonstrations attracted up to 100,000 people. The junta put down the protests with force, killing at least 31 people and detaining thousands.
But in the western port city of Sittwe, about 100 Buddhist monks marched peacefully in a heavy rain for about 30 minutes, according to witnesses who asked not to be named for fear of being harassed by the authorities.
The monks' march took the form of their morning round of begging for alms, but it is widely understood that such a large number of monks marching in an organized fashion represents a veiled protest.
Meanwhile, in the country's biggest city, Yangon, recently released political prisoners helped celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the party led by detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, while police and other security personnel kept a close watch.
No protests directly related to the crackdown anniversary were noted in Yangon, where last year's demonstrations attracted up to 100,000 people. The junta put down the protests with force, killing at least 31 people and detaining thousands.
But in the western port city of Sittwe, about 100 Buddhist monks marched peacefully in a heavy rain for about 30 minutes, according to witnesses who asked not to be named for fear of being harassed by the authorities.
The monks' march took the form of their morning round of begging for alms, but it is widely understood that such a large number of monks marching in an organized fashion represents a veiled protest.
Thein Hlaing, vice chairman of the dissident National League for Democracy Arakan, said one of the monks who organized the march told him it was staged to mark the anniversary of the crackdown and to recall those people killed or detained during it. Buddhist monks spearheaded last year's protests.
Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine state in western Myanmar, is known for its strong anti-military sentiment. It was the city where Buddhist monks first joined anti-junta rallies that swelled into nationwide protests last September.
In Yangon, witnesses said three to six members of the National League for Democracy who were walking to the party's headquarters for its founding anniversary celebration were detained by a vigilante group that acts as security auxiliaries for the ruling military junta. Party officials said the members were forced into a truck and taken to their homes. The witnesses and party officials asked not to be named, fearing official retribution.
Wearing National League for Democracy (NLD) cone-shaped bamboo hats, women members gather Saturday, Sept. 27, 2008, outside the NLD's headquarters in Yangon, Myanmar. About 350 people gathered on Saturday to remember the 20th anniversary of the founding party of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi (AP Photo).
Six truckloads of riot police with shields and batons along with three truckloads of vigilantes were deployed near the opposition party offices. The ceremony, attended by about 350 people including party members, diplomats and reporters, was also a homecoming for a senior party member released from jail a few days earlier.
Prominent journalist Win Tin, who with 19 years behind bars had been the country's longest-serving political prisoner, was among seven party members who were released Tuesday in an amnesty granted to 9,002 prisoners around the country.
Another of those released, Win Htein — who was a close aide to Suu Kyi — was re-arrested just 17 hours after being freed from prison in a remote area in the country's northwest. No reason was given for putting him back in detention.
In an anniversary statement, the party reiterated its call for the immediate release of all political prisoners, including Suu Kyi — who has spent 13 of the last 19 years in detention — and her deputy Tin Oo. It also called for the freedom of Buddhist monks and ethnic leaders arrested by the junta.
The party was founded in 1988 after an abortive pro-democracy uprising, and since then has faced nearly constant harassment from the ruling military. When the party's candidates won the most seats in 1990 general elections, the military refused to let it take power.
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