|
Monks, refugees stage protests
19/10/2007 14:03 - (SA)
Kuala Lumpur - More than 200 Buddhist monks and Myanmar refugees staged pro-democracy demonstrations on Friday outside the country's embassy here.
It was the first time monks from Myanmar have joined protests in Kuala Lumpur against the ruling junta in the reclusive nation.
The military-run state violently suppressed mass anti-government rallies last month. The crackdown left at least 13 people dead.
About 20 monks stood shoulder to shoulder with refugees clad in T-shirts in torrential rain outside the Myanmar embassy in the Malaysian capital.
They also protested outside the Russian and Chinese embassies. They accuse those nations of backing the Myanmar regime and called on them to withdraw that support.
The protestors also gathered at the Japanese embassy to pay tribute to Japanese journalist Kenji Nagai, who was shot and killed during the pro-democracy protests in Myanmar's main city Yangon.
They sang songs and placed a portrait of the slain journalist, framed with flowers, in front of the embassy.
The demonstrators hailed the intervention of UN envoy Ibrahim Gambari, who visited Myanmar to express international outrage over the crackdown, and travelled to Malaysia this week ahead of his next mission to Myanmar.
"Thank God for people like Gambari who are paying attention to our plight. It is time the people of the world stand alongside us to fight this corrupt and terrible regime that is currently running this country," Burmese Refugee Organisation chairperson Maung Hla told AFP.
"There are 135 minor ethnic groups in Myanmar and they are being killed or running away from this country because of this mad government which is out to make life so very difficult for us," he added.
Gambari, who is on a tour of Asia to drum up support for his next mission to Myanmar, said on Wednesday he had confirmed an invitation to visit the country by the third week of November.
- AFP
|
News
