By DPA
Yangon : Thousands of monks marched to Yangon’s Shwedagon Pagoda Sunday on the sixth day of their peaceful protests against Myanmar’s military regime, which has thus far refrained from cracking down on the saffron-robed rebellion.
Monks from various townships marched through the streets to congregate at the spiritual heart of Myanmar’s old capital of Yangon, shortly after midday where they recited mantras.
About 1,000 monks Saturday marched down University Avenue to gather outside the compound of democracy leader Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest since May, 2003, where they chanted Buddhist prayers to bless her.
Eyewitnesses said Suu Kyi, in a rare public appearance, repeatedly told the monks “sandu,” or “well done,” and shed tears of joy when they departed.
Observers have been mystified as to why the soldiers guarding the barriers on University Avenue allowed the monks to pass.
The Shwedagon Pagoda, the golden temple that towers over Yangon’s skyline, is not only Myanmar’s most sacred spot for Buddhists but is also closely identified with the anti-military protests of 1988, which were led by Suu Kyi, daughter of Burmese independence hero Aung San.
The monks’ protest movement appears to have caught Myanmar’s military junta off guard.
The junta has kept a tight lid on discontent for the past 19 years, cracking down on all shows of student-led protests and dissent from opposition politicians such as Suu Kyi’s supporters.
The monkhood, which has been controlled by “government monks” in recent years, may prove the unanticipated factor in the junta’s power equation.
Thus far, only a fraction of Myanmar’s 400,000-strong monkhood has joined the non-violent movement to protest the country’s deteriorating economic conditions since mid-August, when the government more than doubled fuel prices, exacerbating inflation which has been in the double-digit range for the past two years.
It remains unclear whether the Sangha, the senior monks who lead the monkhood, are supporting the protests.
The anti-inflation protests that started on Aug 19 were first led by political activists and members of Suu Kyi’s opposition party, but this month the monks joined in the fray.
The monks’ movement has put Myanmar’s regime in an awkward position. If the rulers do not crack down on the protests, the demonstrations are likely to spread, but if they attack the monks, they would enrage the people.
Buddhist monks have a long history of political activism in Myanmar, a predominantly Buddhist country.