Burmese Monks’ Nonviolent Actions to Boycott Junta Earned Them Disrobing and Torture

The Buddha’s teachings focus enormously on respect of human beings, saying that everyone can attain nibbaba, the highest level of spiritual development. He elaborated on precepts (sila) which make sure that for those who observe sila, their dignity is mutually respected, their personal behavior and social relationship remain peaceful and harmless. He articulated that all human beings are entitled to be free from torture and murder, from stealing, from verbal and sexual abuse and from contamination of consciousness. After him, bhikkhu sangha - communities of the ordained Buddhists - have long been acting as voice of conscience for Buddhist societies. Sangha, with wisdom and compassion takes a role of counterbalance against an abuse of&nbs! p;power so that societies would remain just and peaceful.

The recent report Burma: A Land where Buddhist Monks are disrobed and Detained in Dungeons by Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) (Burma), released in November 2004, reveals the shocking fact that in Myanmar, monks and novices who use nonviolent means to solicit for protection of human beings and democratic society are treated as political prisoners with cruelty. They are arrested and forced to disrobed. They cannot escape imprisonment, brutal interrogation, forced labor camp, torture, charge of misuse of religions, ban of dhamma preaching, even murder.

According to the report, Buddhism is taken by the militant regime as an effective instrument to propagate its legitimacy and subjugate the people. On the contrary, sangha is seen as a threat to their dictatorship. It is a sharp contrast between brutality committed by them and the Buddhist principle of compassion and nonviolence carried downward by sangha.

Buddhist monks, together with other sectors of society in Myanmar, were targeted by the militant government after the 1988 pro-democracy nationwide uprising. In fact during the uprising, approximately 600 monks, among other thousands of civilians, were killed. It’s the monks in cooperation with laypeople who tried to provide protection and food to people during the riot.

Two years later, more than 7,000 monks and novices were attacked while going peacefully on the streets in Mandalay to receive alms from people in August 8, 1990 in an occasion to commemorate the 1988 uprising, resulting death, injury and disappearance of the monks and lay people. Then, the Monk’s Union of Mandalay started an important boycott “Overturning the Bowls” which have never been in practice for hundred of years, against the military. The monks refused to accept food, religious offerings and donation from the military and their families, to perform religious ceremonies for them, to attend rituals or ceremonies hosted by them, and to religiously contact with them. This is a powerful and compassionate gesture to send message that the militant rulers should regret, abandon their ! sinful acts and correct their actions.

The boycott spread out so nation-widely that the military regime had to invite monks from Thailand to accept their merit making. On October 18th, the military regime demand in vain the end of boycott. And, the brutal retaliation against the nonviolent protesting monks began on the next day. Paralleling the cruel deed, the militant rulers pretend to act as kind people and offer valuable donation to some venerable monks and to those who close to them for publicity.

The second Overturning the Bowls boycott happened in November 2003. The military intelligence service invited some monks from a temple in Yangon to a ceremony in the other place and offered them meal and donations. Some novices, most of them aged 18-19, and a monk refused to accept alms brought for them to their temple on this occasion. They were reported and arrested. The officers disrobed them and put them in a prison. Since then the government exercises strong control and curfew to suppress the monks. The hope for justice and legal aid is very dim for them, if not any at all. It is estimated that some 300 forcefully disrobed monks are imprisoned at the beginning of 2004, although it is difficult to get the exact number.

The fate of the monk political prisoners remains in despair so long as Myanmar cannot establish democracy and respect of human values. International Network of Engaged Buddhists would like to support the action of the AAPP (Burma) in reporting their plight to global communities. We solicit that the Myanmar military regime stop human rights violation to all of its citizen, including the monks. We solicit for the justice for all monks, novices and nuns who have been disrobe and detained in prisons. We condemn the employment religions in Myanmar as tools for political purposes. We hope that the non-violent boycott of Overturning the Bowls would stop the ruthless deed of the government toward its citizen and bring the rulers, who display themselves as Buddhists, back to the respect of hum! an being, compassion and wisdom, which is the essence of teachings of the Buddha.

The Secretariat Office, INEB

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