Learn Chinese - Myanmar official media charge monks demonstrations

?  ?

WORLD / Asia-Pacific

Myanmar official media charge monks demonstrations

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-09-19 15:59

YANGON - Myanmar official media charged on Wednesday that Tuesday's monks
demonstrations in the country's western state and Yangon with being
incited by destructive elements from inside and outside the country.

According to the New Light of Myanmar, some 100 each Buddhist monks, whom
the report described as bogus ones, staged protest walks in Sittway in
the Rakhine state in two separate locations, which were followed by about
some 500 people on each incident.

The protest walks turned into violence, said the report, adding that
after firing tear-gas bombs into the protestors and some shots in the air
in both incidents, the demonstrators dispersed finally in the afternoon,
leaving a township official and nine policemen injured.

The report claimed that no monk or no person involved in the incident
injured or arrested out of careful handling of the situation.

Besides, on the same day, there also broke out protest walks by some
hundreds of Buddhist monks in the biggest city of Yangon, marching
peacefully on some main roads of the city leading to some pagodas.

The report disclosed that some other towns in the country also saw
similar protest walks staged by monks.

Tuesday's monks demonstrations were a follow-up of a violent one which
took place in Magway division's Pakokku on September 5 and 6, in which
four local-department-owned cars were put on fire.

"Senior monks and the majority of the members of the Sangha (monks) are
opposed to such protest walks and violence," the report commented.

Since August 19, a series of small-scale demonstrations have scattered in
several locations in the biggest city of Yangon and other places outside
Yangon such as Bago, Yenangyaung, Sittway and Labutta seemingly in
protest against massive fuel price hike.

These series of demonstrations, charged with instigating to cause unrest
in the country, were promptly broken up by the authorities.

The authorities said earlier that it has detained 15 activists since
August 21, who claimed themselves as "88 Generation Students Group". The
authorities accused the group, led by Min Ko Naing, of instigating the
people to various campaigns to incite popular uprising in collaboration
with some anti-government organizations in exile.

Top World News ?

* US diplomatic convoys curtailed in Iraq
* Russian defence minister resigns
* N. Korea denies nuclear ties with Syria
* Lawyer: Musharraf will give up army post
* Iraq: Revenge sought in sheik's death

Today's Top News ?

* Ban: Taiwan's bid for UN legally impossible
* Wipha lands in Zhejiang, 2M evacuated
* Abandoned girl sparks 3-nation hunt
* Wall Street soars after Fed rate cut
* Beijing: Prepared for grave situations

Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours

Learn Chinese, Learn mandarin, Learning Materials, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet