In Myanmar, Pro-Democracy Monks March Against Military Junta
NDTV
Myanmar has been in turmoil and its economy paralysed since February when the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government
Scores of pro-democracy Buddhist monks took to the streets of Myanmar's second-biggest city Saturday, rallying against the military coup in demonstrations that coincided with the 14th anniversary of previous clergy-led mass protests.
Myanmar has been in turmoil and its economy paralysed since February when the military ousted Aung San Suu Kyi's civilian government, ending a ten-year experiment with democracy.
Around the country, an anti-junta resistance has taken root, prompting the military to unleash a brutal crackdown on dissent. More than 1,100 civilians have been killed and 8,400 arrested, according to a local monitoring group.
Historically, monks in predominantly Buddhist Myanmar have been seen as a supreme moral authority, organising communities and at times mobilising opposition to the military regimes. But the coup has exposed a schism in the monkhood, with some prominent clerics giving the generals their blessing and others supporting the protesters.
