Geplaatst:28 sep 2007 14:23 - Gewijzigd: 28 sep 2007 14:23

Burmese riot police attack monks

RANGOON - Thousands of Burmese Buddhist monks and other protesters have been marching in Rangoon despite a bloody crackdown by police, this week. At least one death is reported.

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Monks’ shaved heads stained with blood could be seen at the Shwedagon Pagoda where police charged against protesters demanding the end of military rule. Some marchers started for the city centre while others headed for the home of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Security forces reportedly ringed six monasteries on the ninth day of unrest.

This is a battle of wills between Burma’s two most powerful institutions, the military and the monk-hood, and the outcome is still unclear, the BBC reports. One unidentified person was shot dead and five received gunshot injuries, Rangoon hospital sources told.

Analysts fear a repeat of the violence in 1988, when troops opened fire on unarmed protesters, killing thousands. (RD)