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A Religion Under Military Regime

Monks are forced to become porters on the Karenni Front

Monks are forced to become porters on the Karenni front. Monks detained at Insein prison, for political dissent, are being used as porters in the Burma Army's ongoing campaign against the Karenni guerrillas, west of Maehongson, reports border-based Kantarawaddy Times on Monday (20 February).

One of them, Reverend Dhamma Dhaza, along with 4 lay porters, has recently made a successful escape to the border. Two other monks are still with the Dimawso-based Light Infantry Battalion 427 Reverend Dhamma Dhaza says.

"I was with the (Loikaw-based Infantry Battalion) 250," he told Kantarawaddy Times. Rev Dhamma Dhaza and two other monks were arrested on 9 December while they were trying to mediate between the police and 5 youths at the Hlaing Thaya religious festival in Rangoon. The three are from Dhamma Thuka temple, Natshauk Ward, Tamwe Township. According to him, many hundreds of  monks are being imprisoned in Burmese Jails.

Trustees from Mahamuni temple are now facing the threat of detention

Trustees from Mahamuni temple, a historic Buddhist temple in Arakan, in Kyauktaw Township, are now facing the threat of detention after an army wireless set went missing inside the temple on 22 February 2006, said a son of a pagoda trustee in Kyauktaw.

A wireless set from an army column of Light Infantry Battalion No. 376, which is guarding the temple, has been missing since the night of the 22nd after the wireless officer was away from his post while drinking in a nearby village.

The wireless officer, Lance-Corporal Aung Min, has complained about the incident to Major Aye Lwin, acting commander of LIB-376, but the wireless set remains missing.

Major Aye Lwin, accompanied by Kyauktaw Township police officers, came to Mahamuni temple to question the temple trustees and army personnel about the incident.

The army officer ordered that the trustees are not to be allowed to go outside from the temple, as he may accuse the trustees of being the culprit and they may be arrested by the army if such is the case.

Army personnel are looking for the wireless set in nearby villages and are asking questions to villagers regarding the incident. Some villagers have been beaten by the army over the incident.

Another villager's source said that on that night, Lance-Corporal Aung Min had been drinking with other army personnel, including Corporal Zaw Naing Myo, Lance-Corporal Naing Oo and U Hla Thein, in Thrata Pin Village. During that time, Corporal Aung Min quarreled with the other corporals and left the drinking table for his wife's village of Landmadaw.

The source reported that it is possible that another army corporal concealed the wireless set in an isolated area out of retaliation against Corporal Aung Min.

[Source_ Naringara News]