Word: burma
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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Their cinnamon-hued robes numbered in the tens of thousands. But for the first time since protests against Burma's military junta broke out last month, the columns of Buddhist monks who have taken over leadership of the demonstrations were often obscured by crowds of civilians. Overcoming their fear of the country's repressive regime, ordinary Burmese turned out by the thousands on Monday in the commercial capital of Rangoon, their sandal-shod feet slapping through the rain alongside the monks' bare feet. Participation by these citizens - many of whom are fed up with the economic hardships caused...
...week now, thousands of Buddhist monks have taken to the streets across major towns in Burma, protesting both crippling fuel hikes ordered by the junta in August and the rough treatment by government security forces of clergy members who had dared to speak out earlier this month. So far, the country's top brass, an earlier generation of whom masterminded a brutal crackdown on protesters back in 1988 that resulted in hundreds of deaths, has not ordered its soldiers to fire...
...That's a prudent move. In this Buddhist-majority nation, monks carry a moral authority that far outweighs that of the generals. But as the clergy's protests show no sign of abating and emboldened civilians join the movement in greater numbers, Burma's junta may feel forced to act. Already, its leaders have given signs that their patience may be wearing. On Monday evening, the nation's Religious Affairs Minister was quoted on state television ordering the monks to cease and desist. Meanwhile, a human rights group in London reported that some soldiers were being ordered to shave their...
...less equanimity by the devout Burmese public. If shots are fired, the tenuous peace that has existed between a cowed populace and its oppressive leaders may finally be shattered. "A tiger is being unleashed," predicts Aung Zaw, editor of The Irrawaddy, a Thailand-based news magazine that covers Burma...
...Burma's Persistent Problems Thank you for reporting on Burma and helping to make the world aware of the country's problems [Sept. 17]. As good as your article was, there is no way to fully describe to the world the difficult circumstances under which the average Burmese citizen lives. I lived in Rangoon with my family in the late '70s and early '80s, so I know how bad the situation was then, and I realize it has gotten much worse since. Even though we left Burma almost 25 years ago, our hearts are still there. Sally Nance, Franklin, Tennessee