Anniversary of the Saffron Revolution Observed in Bangladesh

By Takaloo
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Cox'sbazar: A ceremony was held on Monday in a Buddhist monastery in Cox's Bazar in Southern Bangladesh to mark the 4th anniversary of the Buddhist monk led protest, known around the world as the Saffron Revolution, which occurred in September 2007 in Burma.

The ceremony was organized by the International Burmese Monks Organization (Bangladesh). Ven. U Thilawantha, the secretary monk of the organization, said that they marked the anniversary of the movement to show their love for people suffering from the continuous military rule in Burma.

“It is an unforgettable movement for the people of Burma and it is the movement the monks have tried with their love and kindness to save the poverty stricken people who have been long suffering from the continual oppressive rule of the military dictators. We observe the anniversary of the movement to show our commitment to continuing our movement with love and kindness until all people are freed from the suffering that had resulted from the military rule in our country”, said Ven. U Thilawantha.

U Sandarwara, the abbot of the monastery, who opened and chaired the ceremony, and the democracy activists taking asylum in Bangladesh, including monks who participated in the Saffron Revolution addressed the crowd with speeches giving their respective opinions on the movement in the ceremony.

U Khine Pan Aung, the General Secretary of the National United Party of Arakan, said in his speech in the ceremony that tragedies like the brutal killings that brought down the Saffron Movement have been experienced in Burma because of the perpetual rule of the Burmese chauvinist military dictators.

“If we would study the political history of post-independent Burma, we would find the country is full of sorrowful events and has been suffering from extreme poverty. These are because of the perpetual oppressive rule by the Burmese chauvinist military dictators who ignore the ideal federalism of ‘One Kyat for Burma and One Kyat each for other national races in the country’ that was laid down by the leader of independence General Aung San”, said U Khine Pan Aung.

He said, “It is the political phenomenon that the race in power or of the majority would become oppressed without freedom as well, so far as they would try to subjugate and oppress the other minority national races who are living side by side with them in a country. This is happening in the so-called Union of Burma and every person, disregarding of Burman or Arakanese or Karen have become oppressed and poor because of the perpetual oppressive rule of the chauvinist military dictators. So, we all are responsible to fight hand in hand to eradicate those dictatorships from our country.”

The International Burmese Monks Organization in Bangladesh has also issued a statement on the 4th anniversary of the Saffron Revolution. It is being described in their statement that if the nominally elected new regime led by General-turn-President U Thein Sein is really willing to work for genuine democratic reforms and developments in the country, the regime has to prove their commitment by taking some initial steps and releasing all monks and lay-people who have been imprisoned for their participation in the revolution as well as all other political prisoners immediately and unconditionally, to stop military offensives and to withdraw militarized forces being deployed in the ethnic regions and to hold tripartite meaningful peaceful talks.