Efforts by the Burmese authorities to suppress and clampdown on dissent is in full force after a young Buddhist Monk in Mon State came under immediate suspicion for owning a laptop and was targeted for allegedly taking part in an anti-2010 election campaign.  The monk was arrested on January 7 and subjected to brutal torture which sent him to the hospital for emergency treatment, a Mon monk who recently arrived at the border area said.  

“His computer presumed to have disseminating information along with digital images were seized and is now in the hands of the SPDC’s security intelligence,” the young monk said who requested anonymity for fear of arrest.  “I just heard he was disrobed and immediately brought to Rangoon from Moulmein (the capital of Mon state) for further investigation,” he added.

Another source reported a young man, Kyaik Soi from Mutdon Village of Chaung Zon Township in Biluu Kyun was also arrested by local police on January 11, 2010 followed the forced investigation of the monk.  

Nai Ajjae, 28, was on the way to a funeral service of Krein Kreik of Zopbu (Thanbyuzayat in Burmese) Township, Mon State, when he was arrested by the military’s security intelligence and hauled into their office along with his computer and camera in hand for questioning. He was planning to take photographs of the Buddhist Monk funeral ceremony, the most famous ceremony to be held in a long time in the township.

The military intelligence later returned to Nai Ajjae’s temple in Mudone Township where they searched his personal belongings and found more computer equipment, which they confiscated, the source said. Nobody knows what kind of information is stored in his computer and what kind of images were on the memory card.

After being subjected to torture, he was sent to the hospital for emergency treatment after losing consciousness, the source explained. His family is traumatized and is confused as to why he was arrested and tortured.

Following the 2007 Saffron Revolution that saw tens of thousands of Buddhist monks acting in solidarity to protest against the military ruled government, Buddhist monks came under intense scrutiny and harassment by the authorities. Several hundred monks and civilians were killed and brutally tortured with hundreds ending up in prison with lengthy prison sentences, while others managed to flee the country. Buddhist monks have always been highly respected in Burma and their struggle for democracy and freedom is a major force of moral authority that poses a very real threat to the military ruled government.
Rev. Ajjae (Zaw Latt), was a teacher for his temple, a source from Mon State said, adding: “He is a socially conscious and committed young monk.” Generally, it is a struggle and very difficult to organize political activities, but some young Mon Buddhist monks in Mon State have been planning to launch a campaign against the SPDC’s sponsored 2010 election.

Meanwhile, suspicion and fear of the people have been running high among the security forces intent on clamping down on any who threaten and criticize the ruling military government in Mon State. Zopbu was recently hooked up to the Internet in the past year, while the Burmese government regularly monitors, censors, and launches cyber attacks against the social networking sites to detect incriminating images and political content.

The SPDC’s police and intelligence forces have alerted their troops to be aware of any suspicious behavior, especially those who own computers and cameras, which led to the monk’s arrest. There are few Buddhist monks in Mon State who own a laptop since the country has limited access to the Internet and anyone owning any technical equipment risks harassment, suspicion, and monitoring.