The Monks Rebel

Updated on September 27

The situation in Myanmar (formerly Burma) continues to worsen with reports of escalating efforts by the government to violently repress ongoing nonviolent demonstrations. The protests, sparked by steep increases in fuel costs, are being led by Buddhist monks who have called for a reduction in commodity prices, the release of political prisoners, and national reconciliation. (Now that the government has decimated Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party, the monks are the only organized force strong enough to challenge the junta.)

Accurate information is difficult to come by since there are few journalists currently operating inside the country. But there have been media reports of at least eight people killed, widespread use of tear gas against demonstrators, hundreds of arrests and beatings and the detention of at least 300 monks who have been active in the growing anti-government protests over the last month.

Watch this very rough video uploaded to YouTube this morning by an anonymous protester for a sense of what's going on.

Reports are also emerging of growing defiance in the face of the junta's counter-attack as tens of thousands of Buddhist monks and pro-democracy activists continue to take to the streets. As Kyi May Kaung writes at Foreign Policy in Focus, journalists estimate the number of protesting monks countrywide to be 500,000, which equals the number of soldiers in the junta's standing army. The mass demonstrations are the largest in the country since 1998, when thousands were killed as security forces employed lethal force against massive pro-democracy demonstrations.

Since then the Myanmar junta's human rights record has been deplorable. Amnesty International, which has done more work on the country than any other international organization, has documented the cases of at least 1,160 political prisoners who are being held in deteriorating prison conditions. Child soldiers and forced labor continue to be used. The use of torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment are common, especially during interrogation and pre-trial detention.

So, yes, Myanmar is ripe for revolt and the brave monks leading the opposition seem determined to not let this current moment pass. The world community has been unanimous in its criticism of the crackdown with the EU and President Bush calling for tougher sanctions against the Myanmar government. But sanctions have been in place for years and it's unclear how this latest round of international condemnation will force the SLORC's hand.

So grassroots solidarity efforts are more important than ever. You can take action now to prevent more violence by the military government. Send a message today asking the UN Security Council to oppose this violent crackdown and do everything in its power to prevent further bloodshed. Amnesty International is also organizing a series of demonstrations outside Burmese embassies and high-profile public locations calling for the Myanmar authorities to respect the right to peaceful protest. Check its website for info, see the Voices for Burma blog for on-going reporting on the protests as well as activist ideas and watch this space for more info on how you can help.

Comments (55)

1. Quote "But there have been media reports of at least three people killed--two monks and one civilian--"

   Monks aren't civilians?

   Posted by Guiles at 09/26/2007 @ 6:37pm

2. The world community has been unanimous in its criticism of the crackdown with the EU and President Bush calling for tougher sanctions against the Myanmar government.

   except for...china...who supplies the burmese government with its weapons...

   thanks for the links, peter.

   proud of my boys, the buddhist monks putting it on the line. prayors for them and the peeps of burma.

   Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/26/2007 @ 6:44pm

3. it was 8 killed today so far. just heard it on the news.

   Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/26/2007 @ 6:45pm

4. Good pt GUILES. I'll fix that.

   Posted by Peter Rothberg at 09/26/2007 @ 6:48pm

5. i dont think this is going to get too many responses...who's going to champion the cause of the myanmar government?

   Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/26/2007 @ 7:07pm

6. the blog entry, that is...

   Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/26/2007 @ 7:07pm

7. IBB -- WHat I'd love to happen, though I know it's much more difficult and unlikely, is for people to use the comments field to offer and discuss ways to help the people fighting the junta in Burma. We don't always have to argue! We can try to keep track of the good things people are doing on the issue as people start to organize around it. Not to put this all on you of course...

   Posted by Peter Rothberg at 09/26/2007 @ 7:16pm

8. Posted by PETER ROTHBERG 09/26/2007 @ 7:16pm

   moi? argue?

   peter...how could one arggue about this? lol...

   i'll talk with some of my buddhist friends. been a while and will make a nice excuse to reconnect. not many myanmar consulates near me - though maybe atlanta...

   perhaps like what the jericho nuts did...inundate burmese embassy/consulate with...something that expresses disaproval?

   tons and tons of...flowers? sent to burmese consulates and embassies? red and yellow flowers? it would be like funeral flowers for the people killed?

   now can i go argue with people more on other blogpits? lol...

   but yeah, this is serious...

   Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/26/2007 @ 7:47pm

9. IBB -- If you simply email the link to this post around to a few friends you'll have done your duty for the night.

   Posted by Peter Rothberg at 09/26/2007 @ 8:07pm

10. i suspect that THERAVADA buddhist temples and centers, located in most mid sized and above metropolitan areas might be a good place to start for those groping for something to do, beyond the obvious (writing reps).

    theravada buddhism is the form predominant in myanmar.

    furthermore perhaps attention should be paid to chinese government organs since the chinese government is supporting the government of burma. without their support the regime would wither and die quickly.

    boycot all chinese made prod...ok - thats impossible these days...

    but perhaps the inundation of chinese embassies with some kind of protest tokens? yellow and red roses...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/26/2007 @ 8:08pm

11. Posted by PETER ROTHBERG 09/26/2007 @ 8:07pm

    oh i'll do more than that, peter...

    the more publicity generated the better. its all over the msm now. kinda...

    but sure. i'll e-mail...and tomorrow will contact my buddhist friends and see about some kind of interfaith action...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/26/2007 @ 8:12pm

12. Peter,

    You might be interested to know, I am in Hong Kong and on TV here the coverage is extensive...and the stations from all countrys taking the monks position and supporting it as well as showing the riots, attacks and smuggled out videos...the Chinese are not stopping any coverages or censoring the news...German, French, Anerican,Hong Kong,Japanese, Swedish,ect and many other countrys news broadcats are openly shown here on TV....and are available as well as countless newspapers..

    Posted by john maasch at 09/26/2007 @ 8:18pm

13. Posted by JOHN MAASCH 09/26/2007 @ 8:18pm

    thats very good. that means the chinese gov might put the squeeze on their client. they have been trying to counter the bad rep they have with american buddhists over tibet recently, allowing other traditions more freedom.

    thats a very good sign.

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/26/2007 @ 8:22pm

14. Frei,

    A number of us want to go this weekend, but my flight leaves on Sunday AM and we are working until Saturday night ...

    so,I don't know yet...

    Posted by john maasch at 09/26/2007 @ 8:35pm

15. I just finished reading today's WSJ Op-Ed "Freedom for Burma" written by Jody Williams, 1997 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, page A21.

    While Peter didn't mention China, IBBLE DID in a couple of posts.

    Ms. Willims went into some depth on China's support for the Junta since 1988. Besides China's arming the Junta, China covets Burma's port on the Indian ocean as well as its energy resources (w/natural gas deal signed in June and mining negotiations underway)...."has built roads, bridges, airport facilities, power stations, factories and telecom networks." ...."Hundreds of thousands of Chinese live in Burma....increasing economic influence and presence."

    Ms. Williams also report that Burmese activists have staged protests "outside Chinese embassies and consulates in 15 cities in 10 countries around the world...." and that past pressures applied to China concerning Darfur have in fact produced positive results as China is decidedly scared of its 2008 Olympic be branded the "Genocide Olympic".....

    ----------------------------

    Seems to me, for U.S. activist types, the pressure need to be applied to China! Flood your nearest Chinese consulate w/emails or if there are organized protests, go!

    From a geopolitical standpoint, I am HAPPY that China is finding out that `All Business & Non-Intervention' sounds great in theory until ones' country reach, shall we say, Imperial proportions!

    Interestingly, if China cuts back or pulls out of Burma, guess which country is licking its chops to Go Burmese? India!

    Hey, JM, hope you'll feel great by Sunday...maybe extend a day or tow and have some fun...I read that those Macau casinos are truly world-class!

    Posted by Happy at 09/26/2007 @ 9:15pm

16. boycot all chinese made prod...ok - thats impossible these days...

    Posted by IBBLEBLIBBLE 09/26/2007 @ 8:08pm

    actually, we're doing not to badly here. this computer is made in china, but we've greatly reduced our chinage quota

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/26/2007 @ 9:33pm

17. Call or FAX your representative/Senators and ask that they support not just sanctions against the Burmese junta, but also against those countries that support said junta. Sanctions against the Burmese guvt will have little effect, they have been in place for years and guess who is still in charge?

    If you do business in these countries, find out if your business associates do business with the Burmese, and refuse to help them make money. Don't allow third parties to use Burmese goods or labor in any products you may use or sell. Divest stocks of any company that does business with Burma. Send a letter to the Chines Communist party asking them nicely to stop supporting the regime. (that should work, they're sweet people, all about ethical business practices)

    Posted by crabwalk at 09/26/2007 @ 10:48pm

18. Posted by HAPPY 09/26/2007 @ 9:15pm

    nice post

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/26/2007 @ 11:33pm

19. The interesting thing is that the number of protesters on the street is amazingly small compared to the population at hand...if the population came out in force it would really gain influence...many appear to be smiling and on the side lines as if they are watching a show...

    Posted by john maasch at 09/27/2007 @ 01:05am

20. i'll meditate now under the full moon for the blessed angel monks.

    Posted by loveloki at 09/27/2007 @ 01:08am

21. many appear to be smiling and on the side lines as if they are watching a show...

    Posted by JOHN MAASCH 09/27/2007 @ 01:05am

    sound familiar?

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/27/2007 @ 01:20am

22. sound familiar?

    Posted by FROSTY ZOOM 09/27/2007 @ 01:20am

    Yup, like watching Frank adore Hillary...all the while she sells his heart down the river...I have an image of Frank looking alot like Stan Laurel after he has his heart broken, but when he thinks he has a winner I see the same look for Frank ...

    Posted by john maasch at 09/27/2007 @ 04:31am

23. Posted by JOHN MAASCH 09/27/2007 @ 01:05am

    Maybe guns and tanks make them nervous.

    It all starts with a few "fringe looneys", then, hopefully, more and more people will join as they see their neighbors joining in for ...... freedom.

    Posted by JOHN MAASCH 09/27/2007 @ 04:31am

    Or your adoration of Phred Thompson. What large organization has he had experience running, I seem to have forgotten. Or is it that he is an chimera of the Blessed Ray-gun?

    Posted by crabwalk at 09/27/2007 @ 07:57am

24. concise summary of myanmar politics [tinyurl.com]

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/27/2007 @ 08:24am

25. "But sanctions have been in place for years and it's unclear how this latest round of international condemnation will force the SLORC's hand."

    PETER, not sure what you think will work any better than that? Sorry, but how many times have you (or others) marched outside the Chinese embassy over Tibet? Or the Sudanese embassy over Darfur?

    If the Myanmar junta thumbs their noses at YEARS-long sanctions, that hurt their economy directly...you think they're really going to care about "a few Americans marching outside our embassy in Washington every other Saturday"?

    I feel sorry for the Myanmarese (as "John Peterman" on "Seinfeld" said "To me, it will always be 'Burma'!") people....but apart from sanctions....in the neo-isolationism that is emerging from the debacle in Iraq and the hapless nature of the UN on Darfur over the last number of years, I don't see much else we can do....or want to do.

    Posted by Mask at 09/27/2007 @ 09:09am

26. JM -- Thanks for the report.

    MASK -- I'm not against sanctions.

    Posted by Peter Rothberg at 09/27/2007 @ 10:33am

27. Excellent post and comments--one quibble.

    SLORC renamed itself SPDC in 1997, a gang of thugs by any other name...

    Posted by brunowe at 09/27/2007 @ 11:11am

28. MASK -- I'm not against sanctions.----Posted by PETER ROTHBERG 09/27/2007 @ 10:33am

    PETER, that wasn't my point. My point is, if the Myanmar junta is not afraid or pressured by THE WORLD cutting back on their trade...why will "grassroots solidarity efforts" do much better?

    Yes, yes, I know, "MASK and his negativity about activism" again. But seriously, these guys aren't backing down under the most international pressure that came come on them, less total sanctions and/or military invasion (which they know isn't going to happen)....why will a dozen or two people marching around the Consulate in New York scare them???

    Posted by Mask at 09/27/2007 @ 11:15am

29. Posted by MASK 09/27/2007 @ 11:15am

    "the world" no...

    china - perhaps...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/27/2007 @ 11:43am

30. Posted by IBBLEBLIBBLE 09/27/2007 @ 11:43am

    and japan, too.

    a-googling i went to see who is helping the junta, a japan kept cropping up.

    seems like they're slowing down aid, but i get the impression that japanese businesses are making lots of money in myanmar

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/27/2007 @ 12:20pm

31. IBBLE, FROSTY...

    Oh, yeah...they're all over them..

    BEIJING, China (AP) -- China has gently urged Myanmar's military rulers to ease the strife that has seen tens of thousands take to the streets in protest, diplomats said Tuesday, even as Beijing said publicly it would stick to a hands-off approach toward its neighbor.

    Buddhist nuns pray as they join monks and their supporters in a protest in Yangon Sunday.

    China has quietly shifted gears, the diplomats said, jettisoning its noninterventionist line for behind-the-scenes diplomacy. A senior Chinese official asked junta envoys this month to reconcile with opposition democratic forces. And China arranged a low-key meeting in Beijing between Myanmar and State Department envoys to discuss the release of the leading opposition figure.

    For a country that has been Myanmar's staunchest diplomatic protector, largest trading partner and a leading investor, the shift is crucial. Asian and Western diplomats in Beijing and Southeast Asia said China's influence in Myanmar is second to none and could be decisive in restraining the junta from a violent confrontation with protesters.

    "China has been working to convey the concerns of the international community to the Burmese government," a Western diplomat in Beijing said on condition of anonymity, citing policy. "But it could definitely do more to apply pressure."

    Diplomats and experts cautioned that China's communist leaders may not be willing to push harder.(my bolds) Myanmar's junta has resisted Western economic sanctions and appeals from Southeast Asian neighbors and the United Nations. China has deftly filled the diplomatic and economic vacuum, eyeing Myanmar as a strategic path to the Indian Ocean, investing in its teak forests, gas and mineral fields and picking up an ally in the junta.

    Myanmar "was a vassal state of China's for centuries, and it's fast reverting to that status," said Sean Turnell, an economist and expert on the country at Australia's Macquarie University.

    Beijing protected Myanmar, also known as Burma, from scrutiny and sanctions in the U.N. Security Council earlier this year. On Tuesday, two officials -- one from the Communist Party's international affairs office, the other from the Foreign Ministry -- said China would stay out of Myanmar's affairs.

    Posted by Mask at 09/27/2007 @ 12:52pm

32. bare feet vs. guns...

    the burmese governent is indeed one of the most vile in the world.

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/27/2007 @ 1:52pm

33. Posted by IBBLEBLIBBLE 09/27/2007 @ 1:52pm

    super-cynical moment*

    too bad the junta doesn't have a better "WMD" program.

    *godspeed to the good people of burmamar (thought i'd save time)

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/27/2007 @ 5:22pm

34. Crab,

    "Or your adoration of Phred Thompson. What large organization has he had experience running, I seem to have forgotten. Or is it that he is an chimera of the Blessed Ray-gun?

    Posted by CRABWALK 09/27/2007 @ 07:57am "

    I have not yet reached the adoration stage as Frank and Hillary are experiencing...unlike Frank, I need to know more about Phred and what he wants to do..

    John

    Posted by john maasch at 09/27/2007 @ 7:58pm

35. this has been going on in Burma for some time, with nary a peep from mosr. Suu Ky has been under house arrest for years, elections have been nullified, freedom supporters beaten and worse.ah but now that the monks have gotten involved....

    Posted by johannesrolf at 09/27/2007 @ 9:56pm

36. those evil bastards are pulling monks out of monastaries in the middle of the night and doing heaven knows what to them...

    the pics on the news were chilling.

    my god what humble courage...i cant imagine...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/28/2007 @ 12:16am

37. Further info from Times Online-

    Burma's generals silenced the Buddhist monks yesterday morning.

    For a week and a half, the monks had been on the streets of Rangoon in their tens of thousands, and their angry calm gave courage to the people around them.

    The Burmese generals moved to crush demonstrations with monks beaten, shot, arrested and locked in their monasteries

    But overnight, they were beaten, shot and arrested, and locked in their monasteries. Handfuls of them emerged yesterday – two or three brave individuals, a dozen at most – but nothing to approach the mass marches of the previous nine days. Everyone felt their absence.

    You could see it in the faces of the civilian demonstrators who took to the streets anyway, in defiance of the official warnings.

    You could see it too in the swagger of the riot police, banging their batons menacingly on their shields as they advanced.

    The monks were moral shields; without them the marchers had lost a lucky charm. They felt less like crusaders for justice and more like what they resembled – scared, angry kids in T-shirts facing well-drilled troops with automatic weapons.

    They stood their ground as long as they dared, too long for some of them. At least nine people were killed, according to patchy reports, and eleven others injured. The dead included a Japanese photographer.

    So far, though, this does not yet appear to be a repeat of the massacres of 1988, when 3,000 were mown down on the streets. The junta is showing patience and restraint, it is plotting its moves step by step, and it is displaying a subtle and malignant cunning.

    Posted by Mask at 09/28/2007 @ 09:14am

38. Posted by MASK 09/28/2007 @ 09:14am

    speachless

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/28/2007 @ 12:00pm

39. i'm not the boo hooey type but seeing the pics of bloodstained, bullet ridden, monastary floors and the "lost children" looks of those who had followed the disappeared monks the day before got to me...

    and regardless of whatever i do...the feeling of impotance is sickening.

    while i type brave, vituous saints die at the hands of vile, cowardly monsters...

    cry me a river of tears which flows into an ocean of sorrow - all the pain in the world.

    the nobel peace prize should go to all the protesting monks in burma, the prize money to the resistance...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/28/2007 @ 3:03pm

40. nobel peace prize to the monks of burma....

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/28/2007 @ 3:07pm

41. honestly i'd support un mandated chinese/se asian military intervention in burma.

    the regime is guilty of crimes against humanity.

    might open up a dialogue regarding tibet. the chinese would be wise to reconcile with the dalai lama, even to the point of granting autonomy to a tiny vatican-like slice of tibet...imagine the tourism...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/28/2007 @ 3:22pm

42. because china aint never granting autonomy to tibet. never. an invitation for the dalai lama to return would win them mountains of brownie points with the world, however.

    ywo different strains of buddhism, but no government ever hurt itself by co-opting religion rather than persecuting it...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/28/2007 @ 3:27pm

43. nobel peace prize to the monks of burma....

    Posted by IBBLEBLIBBLE 09/28/2007 @ 3:07pm

    I'd second that....more so than half the politicians or ex-politicians who sit at nice comfy negotiating tables!

    Posted by Mask at 09/28/2007 @ 3:45pm

44. Posted by MASK 09/28/2007 @ 3:45pm |

    i think its actually concievable...didn't something like that happen once? awarding it to more than one person? hmmm...googlin' time...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/28/2007 @ 3:53pm

45. oh yeah - 19 times has it been awarded to organizations/groups...

    this is do-able...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/28/2007 @ 3:56pm

46. and what a slap in the face of the evil government of burma that would be...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/28/2007 @ 3:57pm

47. nobel peace prize to the monks of burma....

    Posted by IBBLEBLIBBLE 09/28/2007 @ 3:07pm

    I'd second that....more so than half the politicians or ex-politicians who sit at nice comfy negotiating tables!

    Posted by MASK 09/28/2007 @ 3:45pm

    i'll quintuple that!

    let me talk to my uncle alfred..........................

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/28/2007 @ 4:03pm

48. insein [youtube.com]

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/28/2007 @ 4:45pm

49. Posted by IBBLEBLIBBLE 09/28/2007 @ 4:45pm

    thank you so much mr ibbblblblelbleiblblbleile for posting that.

    the name "insein" is more than fitting.

    to all, please watch ibbs video.

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/28/2007 @ 5:02pm

50. the government may be in trouble. the burmese army is wavering in its loyalty, according to soe reports.

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/28/2007 @ 6:41pm

51. i'm not the boo hooey type but seeing the pics of bloodstained, bullet ridden, monastary floors and the "lost children" looks of those who had followed the disappeared monks the day before got to me...

    Posted by IBBLEBLIBBLE 09/28/2007 @ 3:03pm

    it's getting to me too ibble. real bad.....i'm sad for all of them. but i'm worried about my friend. and even if he is ok, some of his friends are hurt or shot or....disappeared forever into insein or wherever.

    so so sickening.

    Posted by loveloki at 09/29/2007 @ 01:37am

52. Posted by LOVELOKI 09/29/2007 @ 01:37am

    lots of pain in this world, but hope too...nite, love...

    Posted by ibbleblibble at 09/29/2007 @ 01:42am

53. http://icga.blogspot.com/2007/09/cunningham-burma-more-or-less-needs.htm l

    very insightful read of china/us ability to help burma

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/29/2007 @ 7:29pm

54. the link should end ".html"

    Posted by frosty zoom at 09/29/2007 @ 7:29pm

55. Way to speak up John, on Burma!!!

    McCain -- Boot Burma Out of ASEAN

    PJM editor Fausta Wertz reports. September 28, 2007 5:06 PM,

    Sen. John McCain called for Burma to be expelled from ASEAN...the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). "We should isolate Burma even further," he said, while calling for an end to the present policy of inclusion in ASEAN since it clearly has failed. "And I refuse to call Burma Myanmar."

    The senator, who spent six years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, expressed his deep admiration for Burmese dissident and 1991 Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.

    "I only have one photo of anyone, apart from my family, in my office. She is a woman I greatly admire, particularly for the sacrifices she has made for her country." Sen. McCain talked about how the military regime did not allow Ms. Suu Kyi to visit her husband (who at the time was dying of cancer) in England because she wouldn't have been allowed to return to Burma.

    "China should also make a stand for human rights," stated McCain, while calling for the junta's censure and condemnation by the international community.

    Posted by Happy at 09/29/2007 @ 7:57pm