Two years after Saffron Revolution monks still facing repression in Burma

Posted on September 22, 2009
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U Gambira is currently serving a 63 year prison term for his role in leading the protests

Today is the second anniversary of Burma’s Saffron Revolution, the popular mass protests that were brutally broken up when the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC), Burma’s ruling military junta opened fire on the unarmed protestors.
The protests were led by Buddhist monks and according to a new report, Burma’s monks are still facing wide scale repression and intimidation. Human Rights Watch (HRW) compiled the report, The Resistance of the Monks: Buddhism and Protest in Burma. They found hundreds of monks are still in prison, while many more remain fearful of military repression.
The report notes there are numerous reports of monks in prison being abused and denied their rights. It says, “In Buddhist communities around the world deep unease has persisted over reports of the alleged ill-treatment of monks in jail, and these fears were confirmed by a number of monks who, on their release, complained that they had been forcibly disrobed in prison and prevented from performing their religious offices.”
Over 250 monks and nuns remain in prison today, many serving long sentences for their involvement in the protests. Many more monks have left their monasteries and returned to their villages or else fled overseas to escape persecution.
And those that remain in their monasteries face constant surveillance. The report quotes one monk, as saying, “There are military intelligence agents outside, and they watch everyone who goes in and out of the gates. A man from the security services comes every morning and evening to check who of the monks are here, then he leaves.”
Monks are also being blocked from performing their traditional role of providing social services. This was typified by the work of monks following Cyclone Nargis last year.
The report notes that after the storm, “The monks proved once again the pivotal role they play in Burmese society.”
However, it also notes, “A byproduct of their response was the enhancement of their reputation in comparison to that of the military and SPDC-controlled civil society organizations, which were either nowhere to be seen or busy pursuing their own agendas.”
This lead to further repression of monks, as the SPDC saw their social activities as a threat to their rule
The report notes, “The repression that intensified against the Sangha following the crackdown continued in the aftermath of the cyclone, as all community activities by monks were seen as political challenges by the SPDC. Health and education activities in some monasteries were forced to close if the military junta perceived them as being too closely linked to opposition figures. The monks were once again forced to show fealty to the ruling generals or remain silent and inactive.”
Brad Adams, Asia director at HRW said, “The stories told by monks are sad and disturbing, but they exemplify the behaviour of Burma’s military government as it clings to power through violence, fear, and repression.”
“The monks retain a great deal of moral authority, making principled stands by monks very dangerous for a government that doesn’t.