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In Mandalay, monks call for democracy and freedom for political prisoners
Five Buddhist monks from Yangon lock themselves in the Maha Myat Muni Monastery. They want an end to the civil war and freedom for Burmese. A video of their protest is posted online. ASEAN is ready to accept a Myanmar presidency in 2014.
Yangon (AsiaNews) – Five Burmese monks started a protest in the Maha Myat Muni Monastery in Mandalay, drawing a crowd of more than 500 people around the building. They are calling for an end to the fighting between the regular army and ethnic militias and the release of 1,600 political prisoners still held in prison. Yesterday, Burmese authorities said that the release of people arrested for crimes of opinion would be delayed. Sources say the decision was made at the “last minute” following a meeting of top officers. Meanwhile, ASEAN officials and ministers have agreed to a summit in Myanmar. "Everybody agrees to Myanmar, 2014," Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said at a Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Bali, because Burmese authorities “have taken positive steps toward democratisation. We should encourage them more by letting them host the meeting," he added.
However, as the Burmese government seeks international legitimacy, unrest is growing at home. The last major flare-up was in August 2007 when monks led street protest against rising petrol price that ended in a bloody crackdown by the military in the weeks that followed. Since then, the military regime has used an iron fist against anyone opposed to the government.
This morning at 5.30 AM, five monks from Yangon began a protest in Mandalay, one of Myanmar’s major cities. Using a loud speaker, they shouted “Release Political Prisoners”, "Stop Civil War" and "Give Us Freedom". A video of the protest was posted on YouTube.
The Buddhist monks locked themselves inside the building, saying they would continue their protest indefinitely. Dissident news agency Mizzima News is reporting that the protesters have refused the government’s demand that they stop their action. Instead they have asked to talk to political opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
It is unclear whether the government will negotiate with the protesters to retain its credibility at the international level and within ASEAN or end the protest by force with inevitable reactions by Western governments.
The five monks have said that they have food and water for three days.
Meanwhile, Nobel Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi held a press conference to mark a year since her release. She spent 15 of the past 21 years under house arrest. Only on 14 November 2010 did she regain her complete freedom, after parliamentary elections a week before.
At yesterday’s meeting with the press in Yangon, she said the end of economic sanctions imposed by the United States and the European Union depends on the government’s future decisions in the areas of political reforms and human rights.