Buddhist monks will continue to involve themselves in politics and co-operate with political organisations and democracy activists, said Sayadaw U Sandar Thiri, of the organising committee for an event held in Thingang kuun Township, Yangon on September 18, to commemorate the seventh anniversary of the protest led by Buddhist monks that has become known as Myanmar’s Saffron Revolution.
“For the urgency of the peace process and democratisation, sanghas need to cooperate with activists; acting alone we cannot achieve ourdesired goal,” said the monk.
U Min Ko Naing of the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society group was also in attendance at the event, he alleged to the audience that when the government authorities find themselves in a crisis they cannot solve, they create religious or ethnic tension as a distraction but said that monks, in co-operation with leaders of all faiths had tried to educate and calm public opinion.
U Min Ko Naing also alleged that the search for the Dhammazedi bell was just another attempt at distracting the public from serious issues at hand.
