ASIAN TRIBUNE: http://www.asiantribune.com/show_news.php?id=8195

Date : 2003-12-06

Burma: Buddhist Abbot to be hanged

By Zin Linn

Much to everybody's shock and consternation, the Burmese military regime has again condemned, this time a Buddhist abbot. The military court in Mandalay Prison has sentenced to death a venerable Buddhist abbot Sayadaw U Cendhimar from Kyauk-se, a reliable source in Mandalay said.

Earlier, in mid-October, religious unrest broke out in Kyauk-se, a town in central Burma, which is located not far away from Mandalay. The unrest spread to the city of Mandalay and then to the capital Rangoon. Burma’s junta confirmed that there had been sporadic clashes between people professing different faiths and slapped a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the areas where the religious unrest was rampant.

According to reports, the religious unrest broke out with a minor dispute, as someone threw a stone into a Buddhist monastery compound and it sparked the anger of the Buddhist monks, who mistakenly believed that the occupants of a nearby mosque were responsible for the alleged stone throw.

Subsequently, number of Muslims were attacked and injured in the religious riot that ensued, while others fearing for their lives sought shelter in the homes of the neighbouring Buddhist families.

According to local populace, many Buddhist monks in Mandalay rushed to Kyauk-se, caused tension thus sparking riots and arson, which left a dozen people dead, including a pregnant woman.

Following the untoward incidences, Buddhist monks were ordered to observe curfew and monasteries and mosques came under surveillance of the state officials, witnesses said.

The ruling junta took swift action against the Buddhist clergies before public unrest broke out, anticipating that the riot could have been termed as protests against the regime. However, people suspected that that the religious riot was a state orchestrated one.

The Sangha Mahanayaka (Chief Buddhist Prelate) or Buddhist monks’ administrative body issued an instruction, banning all monks not to leave monasteries between 19:00 and 04:00 hours.

Security personnel also monitored mosques and monasteries and watched closely the activities of the monks.

During the religious unrest in October, the military intelligence services arrested at least 315 people including monks.

Moreover, according to confirmed reports, two monks and a dozen people were killed in the incident.

One abbot, the venerable Kyauk-thin-baw Sayadaw from Kyauk-se and his follower Pho Zaw were murdered at Letpanhla village on October 16. The two Buddhist monks were killed while on their way to Kyunhla village for religious purpose.

On October 19, eleven Muslim were also killed in the religious riot in Kyauk-se..

A monk was shot dead during a demonstration in Mandalay, on 27 October.

Accordingly, in the religious unrest which rage the country in October, 14 lives were lost and the junta arrested over 300 people.

But according to reliable sources, there are no major conflict between the Buddhist and Muslim religious factions. In the past 40 year the country experienced time and again religious and racial riots, and it was alleged that the military dictators were the culprits, who from the backstage pulled strings in order to derail public outrage against the political or economic crisis.

It's surprising that, out of 315 detainees, the Venerable Abbot U Cendhimar, who is the chief monk of the Nyein-chan-ye (Peace) monastery in Kyauk-se, was put on trial in the Mandalay Prison and capital sentence passed.

According to information, lawsuit against the venerable prelate was filed on 24 November 2003. In the said case, another 5 accused, who are under 17 years of age, were also found guilty and each of them were sentenced to 10 years imprisonment.

The names of the 5 teenagers were not known as yet. The military intelligence service has threatened the respective officials of the judicial military court to be secretive and not to divulge any information about the case and the proceedings.

Sources inside Burma said that the hearing was conducted secretly and the accused were testified without notifying to the relatives of the accused and also without giving an opportunity for having a lawyer to defend them.

Several when contacted express dissatisfaction with the decision of the junta's special court to condemn with capital punishment the most Venerable U Cendhimar.

- Asian Tribune -