Sittwe:    Many monks in Arakan State are boycotting the government exam by refusing to register their name for enrollment, in support of the monk alliance that has called for the boycott.

"Today is the last date of enrolling for the exam but many monks in Arakan State neglected to enroll their name. I heard many monks will not come to enroll for the exam," a monk from Sittwe said.

Ninety percent of monks in Arakan State are not enrolling in the exam, which will be held in March 2008, following the monk alliance's request to boycott the exam in protest of the government's recent crackdown on the recent monk-led 'saffron revolution'.

The Burmese military authorities pressured abbots from many monasteries throughout Arakan to lure monks into participating in the government's Buddhist religious exam.

Despite the government's efforts, senior abbots have been unable to lure the monks into enrolling in the exam, as many of the monks oppose the military's recent actions against monks in Burma.

The Burmese military government has conducted a religious exam for monks every year, and the exam is very important for monks in Burma. The government awards university-level degrees to monks after their religious education is completed successfully.

The military authority will be holding the exam in accordance with their schedule, but there is a question as to how to administer it without any examinees, the monk said. #

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