Update on Monks’ Excommunicative Boycott - Day II

Update on Monks’ Excommunicative Boycott - Day II:

1) Towndwingyi and Mogoke, Mandalay Division: Monks from about 30 monasteries in Towndwingyi and one monastery, namely Aung Chan Thar, performed pattanikuzana against the regime. They expelled the military regime from the Buddhist faith and would not visit their houses or accept offerings of alms and material from them. Anti-regime pamphlets were circulated elsewhere in the town. The police have summoned some people and interrogated them.

2) Mandalay and Amarapura, Mandalay Division: About 700 monks from the well known Ma Soe Rein Monastery in Mandalay started their protest and Pattanikuzana at about 7:30 a.m., walking around the town and then returned to the monasteries. Mandalay is the second largest city where about 300,000 – nearly half of the monks in the country reside. Monks from Amarapura, neighborhood of Mandalay also made the peaceful march in the afternoon to Maha-Myat-Muni pagoda in Mandalay.

3) Rangoon, Rangoon Division: Over 300 monks started peaceful march by carrying banners and flags in Rangoon despite heavy rain. As they marched to downtown, the people also walked along in the flanks. When the monk column arrived to Sule Pagoda, the people started to join and the pagoda was packed with the protesters and some monks gave speeches and all protesters dispersed peacefully.

4) Myingyan, Magwe Division and Kalay, Sagaing Division: Monks from these two cities also joined the protest as they carried out peaceful marches, reported by DVB. About 150 monks held the protest in Myingyan, but details not known in Kalay.

5) Sittwe, Rakhine State: About 1,000 monks surrounded and picketed the office of State SPDC office today in response to the crackdown on yesterday protest. The people also joined and cheered up the demonstrating monks. It was reported that three USDA people closely followed the monks proceeding and that the leading monks and local authority were holding the talks inside the office.

6) Pyay, Magwe Division: About 500 monks also gathered in local Shwe-San-Daw Pagoda in Pyay to show their participation in monk's boycott against the authorities.


II. Update on the Democracy Activists:

1) Four members of the ’88 Generation Group Hospitalized (Sept 19): It’s been reported that at least four more leaders of the '88 Generation Students Group in detention ¬Min Ko Naing, Ko Mya Aye, Ko Jimmy, Ko Markee alias Kyaw Kyaw Htwe¬ are being hospitalized at Insein Jail Hospital. They have been tortured badly, according to confirmed sources inside. There is no progress on the family members’ approach to ICRC to help find out the whereabouts of these activists. Min Zeya, another leader of the Group, was also hospitalized but whether he has already recovered or not is unknown.

2) Messages from Hiding (Sept 15-19): Htay Kywe, a prominent leader, as well as remaining members of the ’88 Generation Group are still be able to evade the arrests from the authorities and send out occasional messages to the people of Burma and international community through media.

3) Students Started Poster Campaign, Bhamo, Kachin State (Sept 18, Kachin News Group)

Students in Bhamo University have followed those in Myitkyina University by launching an identical poster campaign against the regime as A-4 size posters were pasted on the key buildings in Bhamo town including schools, Bhamo University, colleges, and authorities’ offices.

The five demands in the posters are identical to those put up in Myitkyina: To roll back oil and essential commodity prices, to immediately stop the Myitsone Hydroelectric Power project, to release all political prisoners and to solve the country's problems by initiating a "Tripartite Dialogue" which should including the ruling junta, political opposition political parties and ethnic leaders.

During last week, SPDC Commander Maj-Gen Ohn Myint has lashed out at Kachin students as the students from Myitkyina University as well as from high schools were picked up and forcibly made to appear in font of him. He then warned the students to stop the poster campaign nad threatened the students saying, “You're a handful for me and I'll kill you now! Your Kachins are going to disappear."


III. Harassment, Abduction and Detention:

1) Five arrested on suspicion of links with organizations in exile (Sept 19, IMNA): Four women and a man were arrested by a local army officer on Sept 16 in southern Mon State on suspicion of passing on information to organizations in exile, while their cordless phones and accessories were confiscated. According to family members, Nai Aung Khin (40), Mi Kon Payu (60), Ma Nu (40), Ma Hla Win (35) and Mi Chan Kyi (18) have also been interrogated. Some residents said the same officers recently conducted a similar behavior by confiscating the phones of one resident and extorted money and


IV. Response by the SPDC Regime:

1) Junta’s Media Accused Protesters (Sept 19): The military junta owned MRTV and newspapers have accused protesters in Sittwe of resorting to violence and beating up its officers during protests yesterday on Sept 18 and said one USDA leader and nine policemen were injured, but no protesters were injured or detained, countering witness reports of three or four monks being hit and slapped while being arrested.

However, the junta said on Sept 19 it had used tear gas and fired warning shots to disperse a crowd of 1,000 Buddhist monks and civilian protesters in Sittwe on Sept 18, Reuters reported.

An article in New Light of Myanmar newspaper also accused the protesting monks as imposters who join internal and external destructive elements, the same old label the regime always put on democracy activists, to create unrest in the country.

2) Security Tightened in Many Parts of the Country (Sept 20): In Mon State, the regime’s Southeast Command has geared up to crack down on any protest by tightening security especially since Sept 17. Policemen are patrolling Moulmein Township.

Also in Rakhine State, all communication channels have bee cut and people have been ordered to get permission from authorities if they wish to travel even from one village to the other.

In Kachin State, reported by Kachin News Group (KNG), the commander Maj-Gen Ohn Myint is trying to prevent any demonstration in Myitkyina Township. In Bhamo, 2nd largest city in Kachin State, the authorities have tightened security following the poster protest which took place on Sept 19.


V. “Free Burma” Actions around the World:

1) Monks Show Solidarity, Bangladesh (Sept 18, Gissapa News): Buddhist monks residing in Bangladesh held a religious ceremony on a river in Cox Bazaar, a town bordering with Burma, in support of the monks’ religious boycott of SPDC inside Burma.

2) Religious Performance for Democracy Activists, Bangladesh (Sept 18, Gissapa News): Rakhine community based in Cox Bazaar, a border town of Bangladesh with Burma, which include respected senior monks and members of the Shwe Gas Movement, Rakhine Patriotic Youth organization, and Federation of Trade Union of Overseas Rakhine Workers held a religious ceremony in honor of democracy activists who sacrificed their lives for democracy during the 1988 nationwide uprising.

3) Statements Commemorating the 19th Year of Military Coup (Sept 18): NLD-Liberated Area (Korea), Burmese Muslim Association (England), Overseas National Students Organization of Burma (Denmark) and a number of Burmese pro-democracy organizations issued statements on Sept 18 as it marked the 19th year of military coup since the nationwide pro-democracy uprising.

4) More Protests (Sept 18):
• Bangkok, Thailand: Yaung Chi Oo Workers Association and Overseas National Students Organizations of Burma staged a protest in front of Burmese Embassy.
• Sydney, Australia: Burmese community held a demonstration in front of the Chinese Consulate General in Sydney. The group was received by an officer upon their request, but the officer did not accept the letter.
• Copenhagen, Denmark: Friends of Burma and Burmese community also held a demonstration.


VI. Axis of Evil:

1) China-Burma Oil Pipeline Project Approved (Sept 18, XFN-ASIA): The China-Burma oil pipeline project, which will transship oil imported from the Middle East, has won Chinese government approval. The Chinese side is drafting detailed plans for the construction of the pipeline.

In January, China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) signed production sharing contracts with Burmese Ministry of Energy covering crude oil and natural gas exploration projects in three deep-sea blocks off western Burma. The China Oil News reported earlier this year that construction of the pipeline is expected to start this year.

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