Dhamma VCDs by Two Well-known Monks Banned in Burma
By Wai Moe November 16, 2007
Dhamma VCDs by two of Burma’s respected senior monks, which are interpreted as critical of the junta’s brutal crackdown on the monk-led demonstrations, have been banned by authorities, according to Rangoon sources.
The two monks, U Nyanithara and U Kawvida, are well-known for their Dhamma talks [Buddhist teachings] to laypeople.
“Normally all Dhamma cassette tapes or VCDs are sold at shops across the country," said a Rangoon resident. "But we cannot buy these recent VCDs at shops because authorities banned them. But you know it's the IT age. So the VCDs are copied and delivered person-to-person.”
One Rangoon resident told The Irrawaddy on Friday that U Kawvida called the Burmese junta the second "Azartathet" [Azartathet is an infamous villain who killed his father for power in Buddhist stories]. U Kawvida is abbot at Mizzima Gon Yee Monastery in Rangoon.
The monks' dhamma talks, recorded on VCDs, are based on classic Buddhist stories, but the meaning of the words are interpreted by laypeople as critical of Snr-Gen Than Shwe and the junta, in part because the talks were given shortly after the country-wide protest demonstrations.
U Kawvida, a Buddhist PhD scholar, said in his VCD that the worst disease is hunger, and if people are poor and hungry, it is a universal truth that they will explore. According to one layperson who saw the VCD, the story was saying that if a government causes people to be poor and hungry, it is natural for people to protest and demonstrate. His most recent Dhamma talks were in Rangoon and Magway.
Another senior monk, U Nyanithara , also known as Thitagu Sayardaw, spoke before laypeople in Myingyan in central Burma. In his VCD, titled “The Way of Dumb People,” he criticized people who are guided by numerology and astrology. One layperson said the story was critical of Snr-Gen Than Shwe, who is famous for basing important decisions on his astrologer's advice. A second VCD is titled "The Ending of the King."
U Nyanithara openly talked about democracy in many Dhamma talks following the 1988 uprising, and his democracy dhamma tapes were popular among Burmese. He is active in humanitarian work and well-known for his water supply projects, known as Thitagu Water Donations. He has helped establish Buddhist groups in the US, Canada, Australia and in Europe.
Dhamma VCDs by two of Burma’s respected senior monks, which are interpreted as critical of the junta’s brutal crackdown on the monk-led demonstrations, have been banned by authorities, according to Rangoon sources.
The two monks, U Nyanithara and U Kawvida, are well-known for their Dhamma talks [Buddhist teachings] to laypeople.
“Normally all Dhamma cassette tapes or VCDs are sold at shops across the country," said a Rangoon resident. "But we cannot buy these recent VCDs at shops because authorities banned them. But you know it's the IT age. So the VCDs are copied and delivered person-to-person.”
One Rangoon resident told The Irrawaddy on Friday that U Kawvida called the Burmese junta the second "Azartathet" [Azartathet is an infamous villain who killed his father for power in Buddhist stories]. U Kawvida is abbot at Mizzima Gon Yee Monastery in Rangoon.
The monks' dhamma talks, recorded on VCDs, are based on classic Buddhist stories, but the meaning of the words are interpreted by laypeople as critical of Snr-Gen Than Shwe and the junta, in part because the talks were given shortly after the country-wide protest demonstrations.
U Kawvida, a Buddhist PhD scholar, said in his VCD that the worst disease is hunger, and if people are poor and hungry, it is a universal truth that they will explore. According to one layperson who saw the VCD, the story was saying that if a government causes people to be poor and hungry, it is natural for people to protest and demonstrate. His most recent Dhamma talks were in Rangoon and Magway.
Another senior monk, U Nyanithara , also known as Thitagu Sayardaw, spoke before laypeople in Myingyan in central Burma. In his VCD, titled “The Way of Dumb People,” he criticized people who are guided by numerology and astrology. One layperson said the story was critical of Snr-Gen Than Shwe, who is famous for basing important decisions on his astrologer's advice. A second VCD is titled "The Ending of the King."
U Nyanithara openly talked about democracy in many Dhamma talks following the 1988 uprising, and his democracy dhamma tapes were popular among Burmese. He is active in humanitarian work and well-known for his water supply projects, known as Thitagu Water Donations. He has helped establish Buddhist groups in the US, Canada, Australia and in Europe.
Pinheiro Meets Prominent Burmese Political Prisoners
By The Associated Press November 15, 2007
A UN human rights investigator said he was able to meet with several prominent political prisoners before ending his five-day mission to Burma on Thursday.
On Thursday afternoon, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro went to Insein Prison in Rangoon, Burma's largest city, where he was able to talk with several political detainees, including labor activist Su Su Nway, who was arrested Tuesday, he told a news conference at Rangoon's airport.
He also met with 77-year-old journalist Win Tin, held since 1989, and members of the 88 Generation Students group, who have been especially active in nonviolent anti-government protests in recent years.
Pinheiro did not reveal details of their conversations.
Pinheiro was sent by the UN to investigate allegations of widespread abuse during the junta's bloody September crackdown on pro-democracy protests. His five-day mission, which ends Thursday, was aimed at determining the numbers of people detained and killed by the regime.
The military government said 10 people were killed when troops opened fire on crowds of peaceful protesters September 26 and 27. Diplomats and dissidents, however, say the death toll was much higher.
The government has acknowledged detaining nearly 3,000 people but says it has released most of them. Many prominent political activists, however, remain in custody. Pinheiro had said he was determined to gain access to prisons and other sites to assess allegations of abuse.
Pinheiro told diplomats Wednesday that the junta had assured him he could interview detainees at Insein Prison before leaving, according to one of the diplomats, who asked not to be named, citing protocol.
Pinheiro already visited the prison Monday, but was only given access to officials.
Insein has held numerous political prisoners over the years. Many former inmates describe torture, abysmal conditions and long stretches in solitary confinement.
Reporters who followed his convoy Thursday saw Pinheiro enter the prison compound but could not accompany him further.
Pinheiro's trip has otherwise been dominated by meetings with junta officials. He had been given access to several detention centers in Rangoon, but had not been allowed to meet any prisoners.
Despite worldwide criticism, the junta continued its crackdown on suspected protesters during Pinheiro's visit.
The latest to be nabbed were three people handing out anti-regime pamphlets Wednesday at a fruit and vegetable market in Rangoon, witnesses said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they feared government reprisals.
The incident followed earlier arrests of two prominent dissidents.
Su Su Nway, a prominent activist who had been on the run for more than two months, was arrested Tuesday morning in Rangoon as she tried to place a leaflet near a hotel where Pinheiro was staying, said exiled Burmese dissidents in Thailand.
U Gambira, a Buddhist monk who helped spearhead the pro-democracy demonstrations in Rangoon, was arrested several days ago, said Stanley Aung of the Thailand-based dissident group National League for Democracy-Liberated Area.
Monks inspired and led the movement until it was brutally crushed in September. The authorities began their crackdown by raiding several monasteries in Rangoon in the middle of the night
A UN human rights investigator said he was able to meet with several prominent political prisoners before ending his five-day mission to Burma on Thursday.
On Thursday afternoon, Paulo Sergio Pinheiro went to Insein Prison in Rangoon, Burma's largest city, where he was able to talk with several political detainees, including labor activist Su Su Nway, who was arrested Tuesday, he told a news conference at Rangoon's airport.
He also met with 77-year-old journalist Win Tin, held since 1989, and members of the 88 Generation Students group, who have been especially active in nonviolent anti-government protests in recent years.
Pinheiro did not reveal details of their conversations.
Pinheiro was sent by the UN to investigate allegations of widespread abuse during the junta's bloody September crackdown on pro-democracy protests. His five-day mission, which ends Thursday, was aimed at determining the numbers of people detained and killed by the regime.
The military government said 10 people were killed when troops opened fire on crowds of peaceful protesters September 26 and 27. Diplomats and dissidents, however, say the death toll was much higher.
The government has acknowledged detaining nearly 3,000 people but says it has released most of them. Many prominent political activists, however, remain in custody. Pinheiro had said he was determined to gain access to prisons and other sites to assess allegations of abuse.
Pinheiro told diplomats Wednesday that the junta had assured him he could interview detainees at Insein Prison before leaving, according to one of the diplomats, who asked not to be named, citing protocol.
Pinheiro already visited the prison Monday, but was only given access to officials.
Insein has held numerous political prisoners over the years. Many former inmates describe torture, abysmal conditions and long stretches in solitary confinement.
Reporters who followed his convoy Thursday saw Pinheiro enter the prison compound but could not accompany him further.
Pinheiro's trip has otherwise been dominated by meetings with junta officials. He had been given access to several detention centers in Rangoon, but had not been allowed to meet any prisoners.
Despite worldwide criticism, the junta continued its crackdown on suspected protesters during Pinheiro's visit.
The latest to be nabbed were three people handing out anti-regime pamphlets Wednesday at a fruit and vegetable market in Rangoon, witnesses said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they feared government reprisals.
The incident followed earlier arrests of two prominent dissidents.
Su Su Nway, a prominent activist who had been on the run for more than two months, was arrested Tuesday morning in Rangoon as she tried to place a leaflet near a hotel where Pinheiro was staying, said exiled Burmese dissidents in Thailand.
U Gambira, a Buddhist monk who helped spearhead the pro-democracy demonstrations in Rangoon, was arrested several days ago, said Stanley Aung of the Thailand-based dissident group National League for Democracy-Liberated Area.
Monks inspired and led the movement until it was brutally crushed in September. The authorities began their crackdown by raiding several monasteries in Rangoon in the middle of the night
Leading Monk Charged with Treason
By Wai Moe November 15, 2007
A 29-year-old leading monk in the recent mass demonstrations, U Gambira, has been charged with treason by the Burmese junta, according to his family. The punishment for high treason in Burma is a life sentence or death.
His mother told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that authorities told U Gambira’s family that he is charged with treason for his leading role in the September mass demonstrations.
U Gambira was arrested from a hiding place in Kyaukse, central Burma, in early November. “They [the security forces] also arrested his father at the time,” said U Gambira’s mother.
U Gambira, leader of the Alliance of All Burma Buddhist Monks, which played a significant role in the September demonstrations, had been in hiding since the demonstrations were violently suppressed by the authorities.
U Gambira was born in the town of Pauk in central Burma. He has three brothers and one sister.
“I am very worried,” said his mother. “I am so sad for my son and my husband. They might be tortured during interrogation. But I am proud of him [U Gambira]. Since his childhood, my son has been active in helping other people.”
The monk’s father, Min Lwin, is believed to be in Burma’s infamous Insein Prison, said U Gambira’s mother.
U Gambira’s brother, Kyaw Kyaw, was also arrested in October as an exchange while the monk was in hiding. But his brother has not been freed since the monk’s capture. His mother and three other family members were also detained and interrogated before he was arrested.
In October, the mother and mother-in-law of an activist, Thet Thet Aung, were also detained as the authorities called for an exchange with the fugitive activist. Human rights organizations claim this form of arresting activists’ family members is simply “taking hostages.”
In the past, monk leaders have been charged with treason for their leading roles in peaceful demonstrations. In 1989, U Kawira, a leading monk from Mandalay, was sentenced to death for treason. He was a monk leader during the 1988 uprising.
A 29-year-old leading monk in the recent mass demonstrations, U Gambira, has been charged with treason by the Burmese junta, according to his family. The punishment for high treason in Burma is a life sentence or death.
His mother told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that authorities told U Gambira’s family that he is charged with treason for his leading role in the September mass demonstrations.
U Gambira was arrested from a hiding place in Kyaukse, central Burma, in early November. “They [the security forces] also arrested his father at the time,” said U Gambira’s mother.
U Gambira, leader of the Alliance of All Burma Buddhist Monks, which played a significant role in the September demonstrations, had been in hiding since the demonstrations were violently suppressed by the authorities.
U Gambira was born in the town of Pauk in central Burma. He has three brothers and one sister.
“I am very worried,” said his mother. “I am so sad for my son and my husband. They might be tortured during interrogation. But I am proud of him [U Gambira]. Since his childhood, my son has been active in helping other people.”
The monk’s father, Min Lwin, is believed to be in Burma’s infamous Insein Prison, said U Gambira’s mother.
U Gambira’s brother, Kyaw Kyaw, was also arrested in October as an exchange while the monk was in hiding. But his brother has not been freed since the monk’s capture. His mother and three other family members were also detained and interrogated before he was arrested.
In October, the mother and mother-in-law of an activist, Thet Thet Aung, were also detained as the authorities called for an exchange with the fugitive activist. Human rights organizations claim this form of arresting activists’ family members is simply “taking hostages.”
In the past, monk leaders have been charged with treason for their leading roles in peaceful demonstrations. In 1989, U Kawira, a leading monk from Mandalay, was sentenced to death for treason. He was a monk leader during the 1988 uprising.
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Cry, my beloved country by U Gambira & Ashin Nayaka ( en anglais et en français)
We are both Burmese Buddhist monks - a leader of the All Burma Sangha Coalition that led the recent protests, and a scholar teaching in the United States. One of us is in hiding today because Burma’s military government met the peaceful protests of our Buddhist brothers and sisters with violence and brutality.
Nous sommes tous deux des moines bouddhistes - un leader de la Coalition des Sangha de Birmanie qui a dirigé les récentes manifestations, et un érudit enseignant aux Etats-Unis. L’un d’entre nous se cache aujourd’hui car le gouvernement militaire de Birmanie a réprimé la maifestation pacifique de nos frères et soeurs bouddhistes avec violence et brutalité.
Many monks and nuns have been abused and beaten, and thousands who have been arrested endure continued brutality. More than 1,000 are missing and many are presumed dead.
Beaucoup de moines et nonnes ont été trompés et frappés, et des milliers qui ont été arrêtés endurent une brutalité continuelle. Plus de 1000 ont disparu et beaucoup sont présumés morts.
A few weeks ago, Burma’s monks began to march and pray and spread loving kindness in an effort to solve our nation’s problems peacefully.
Quelques semaines avant, les moines de Birmanie ont commencé à marcher et prier, ils ont répandu la bienveillance aimante dans un effort pour résoudre pacifiquement les problèmes de notre nation.
Burma is a country rich in natural resources, but its people are poor. When the government suddenly and capriciously increased the price of fuel by as much as 500 per cent overnight, everyone was affected - and made even more desperate.
La Birmanie est un pays riche en ressources naturelles, mais son peuple est pauvre. Lorsque le gouvernement a soudainement et de manière capricieuse, augmenté le prix du fuel à hauteur de 500 pour cent en l’espace d’une nuit, tout le monde s’en est trouvé affecté - et plus désespéré encore.
As monks, we believe in alleviating suffering wherever we see it, as part of the vows that we have taken. We could not ignore the suffering of our people. We formed the Sangha Coalition when we saw that the country’s monks were united.
En tant que moines, nous croyons en la possibilité d’atténuer la souffrance chaque fois que nous la voyons, il s’agit là d’une partie des voeux que nous avons faits. Nous ne pouvions ignorer la souffrance de notre peuple. Nous avons formé la Coalition du Sangha quand nous avons vu que les moines du pays étaient unis.
Those of us who are studying and teaching abroad share this unity, and have rallied to the support of those of us in Burma. And it is not only the monks who are united. When we started our peaceful marches for change, students, youth, intellectuals and ordinary people joined us in the streets, in the rain.
Ceux d’entre nous qui étudient et enseignent à l’étranger partagent cette unité, et se sont rallié à la cause des nôtres en Birmanie. Et ce ne sont pas seulement les moines qui sont unis. Lorsque nous avons commencé nos marches pacifiques pour le changement, des étudiants, des jeunes, des intellectuels et des gens ordinaires nous ont rejoints dans les rues, sous la pluie.
We thought that we could appeal to some, if not all, of the generals who control our country - Buddhists themselves - to join us in trying to right the many ills befalling Burma.
Nous avions pensé que nous pourrions appeller certains, si ce n’est tous, des généraux qui contrôlent notre pays -eux-mêmes bouddhistes- à nous rejoindre afin de tenter de soigner les nombreuses maladies qui ont touché la Birmanie.
At first, we tried to show our displeasure with military rule by refusing to receive alms from them. We turned our begging bowls upside down as a gesture of our feelings. We have not lost our loving kindness towards ordinary soldiers, nor even towards the leaders who ordered them to brutalise their own people, but we wanted to urge them to change while there was still time.
D’abord, nous avons essayé de montrer notre mécontentement lié à la répression militaire, en refusant de recevoir leur aumône. Nous retournions nos bols de mendiant pour signifier notre sentiment. Nous n’avions pas perdu notre bienveillance aimante pour les soldats ordinaires, pas même celle pour les dirigeants qui leur ont ordonné de brutaliser leur propre peuple, mais nous voulions les presser de changer tant qu’il en était encore temps.
We know that some people in the army and organisations close to the regime have been reluctant to use violence against the monks. We want to tell the people who are violent towards their own countrymen to stop and think whether their actions are in accordance with the dharma, whether they are acting for the good of the Burmese people.
Nous savons que certaines personnes au sein de l’armée et des organisations proches du régime ont hésité à user de violence contre les moines. Nous voulons dire aux personnes qui font montre de violence à l’égard de leurs propres concitoyens, de cesser et de réfléchir : leurs actions sont-elles en accord avec le Dharma, sont-elles en train d’agir pour le bien du peuple birman ?
Some of the soldiers who were ordered to beat us and to stop us from marching actually refused to do so because they understood the truth of what we were doing.
Certains des soldats à qui on a ordonné de nous battre et de nous arrêter dans notre marche ont refusé de le faire parce qu’ils ont compris la vérité de notre démarche.
We hoped to create a way out for the military leaders, a way to start a real dialogue with the people’s leaders and the leaders of ethnic groups, for the unity of the nation.
Nous espérions ouvrir une issue pour les dirigeants militaires, une voie propice à un dialogue réel avec les dirigeants du peuple et ceux des groupes ethniques, pour l’unité de la nation.
But that hope was shortlived. The regime is now hunting down those who participated in the demonstrations and committing unspeakable acts of violence.
Mais cet espoir n’a que peu vécu. Le régime pourchasse actuellement ceux qui ont participé aux manifestations et commet des actes de violence inimaginables.
They have attacked monasteries and arrested monks and nuns by force. Guards are everywhere, on all the streets, around the pagodas and residential areas.
Ils ont attaqué des monastères et arrêté des moines et nonnes par la force. Des gardes sont partout, dans toutes les rues, entourant les pagodes et quartiers résidentiels.
Wounded demonstrators are reported to have been buried alive in mass graves, and there are confirmed reports of bodies washing ashore in the waterways near Rangoon (Yangon). The regime is brutalising the Burmese people, and lying to the world about its actions.
Des manifestants blessés auraient été brûlés vifs dans des charniers, et on a confirmé la présence de corps sur les rives des voies navigables de Rangoon (Yangoon). Le régime brutalise le peuple birman, et ment au monde sur ses actes.
Brigadier-General Kyaw Hsan, a representative of the military, recently told United Nations special envoy Ibrahim Gambari that the marchers in the streets were ’bogus monks’. But we are genuine, and thousands of us - from Rangoon, Mandalay, Pegu, Arakan, Magwe and Sagaing - demonstrated for peace.
Le brigadier - Général Kyaw Hsan, un représentant de l’armée, a récemment affirmé à l’envoyé spécial des Nations Unies Ibrahim Gambari que les manifestants dans la rue étaient de « faux moines ». Mais nous sommes d’authentiques moines, et des milliers d’entre nous - venus de Rangoon, de Mandalay, de Pegu, d’Arakan, de Magwe et de Sagaing - ont manifesté pour la paix.
Some have said that the uprising in Burma is over. That is what the junta wants the world to think. But we believe that the protests represent the beginning of the end of military rule in our country.
On a raconté que les soulèvements en Birmanie étaient terminés. C’est ce que la junte veut faire penser au monde. Mais nous croyons que les manifestations représentent le début de la fin du contrôle militaire dans notre pays.
The generals who ordered the crackdown are assaulting not only Burma’s people, but also their own hearts, souls and spiritual beliefs. The monks are the preservers of dharma : by attacking them, the generals attack Buddhism itself.
Les généraux qui ont ordonné la répression ont assailli non seulement le peuple birman, mais aussi leurs propres coeurs, âmes et convictions spirituelles. Les moines sont les garants du Dharma : en les attaquant, les généraux ont attaqué le Bouddhisme lui-même.
We know that the international community is trying to help us, but we need that help to be more effective. We thank the many people and organisations abroad who are helping us to regain the rights that have been denied to us for more than 40 years. But we also appeal to the international community to make its actions practical and effective.
Nous savons que la communauté internationale tente de nous venir en aide, mais nous avons besoin que cette aide soit plus efficace. Nous remercions les nombreuses personnes et organisations à l’étranger qui nous aident à regagner les droits qui nous ont été refusés depuis plus de 40 ans. Mais nous appellons également la communauté internationale à faire en sorte que ses actions soient pratiques et efficaces.
The military government will do anything to remain in power, and their violent acts must be exposed to the world.
Le gouvernement militaire fera tout pour garder son pouvoir, et ses actes violents doivent être exposés au monde.
They may control the streets and monasteries, but they will never be able to control our hearts and our determination.
Ils peuvent contrôler les rues et les monastères, mais ils ne pourront jamais contrôler nos coeurs et notre détermination.
U Gambira is the pseudonym of one of the leaders of the All Burma Sangha Coalition ; Ashin Nayaka is the founder of the Buddhist Missionary Society and a Visiting Scholar at Columbia University.
U Gambira est le pseudonyme d’un des leaders de la Coalition des Sanghas de Birmanie ; Ashin Nayaka est le fondateur de la Société Missionnaire Bouddhiste et un érudit invité à l’Université de Columbia.
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