Silencing Burma’s Monks

December 1, 2008

Author: Min Lwin

Source: The Buddhist Channel/The Irrawaddy

http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=82,7459,0,0,1,0

The 68-year prison sentence handed down to Ashin Gambira for his role in last year’s monk-led protests shows that Burma’s brutal junta now exercises total control over the country’s Sangha, or community of Buddhist monks, who many regarded as the last bastion of resistance against military rule.

Ashin Gambira, 29, was one of the organizers of the uprising, which captured international attention last September with dramatic images of thousands of peacefully marching monks confronting heavily armed soldiers. On November 18, he received an initial 12-year sentence, which was extended by another 56 years last week.

According to the Thailand-based Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP), 143 young monks were arrested and detained for their involvement in the demonstrations.

Fifty-six of these monks have already received lengthy prison sentences, while another 87 remain in detention awaiting a final judgment by courts that invariably do the regime’s bidding.

Last year’s massive show of defiance was sparked by the heavy-handed response of security forces to a march by monks in Pakokku Township on September 5. The monks, who were responding to a sudden increase in fuel prices that had a devastating effect on Burma’s already struggling population, were tied to electrical poles and beaten in the streets.

The violence in Pakokku prompted Ashin Gambira and some other young monks to found the All Burma Monks Alliance (ABMA) to demand an apology from the regime. They also called for a reduction in prices, the release of all political prisoners, and a dialogue between the military and the political opposition.