Will Buddhists support their brethren?

UPI Asia
Commentary
HONG KONG, Sep. 28
BASIL FERNANDO
Column: Burning Points

The Buddhist monks in Burma have been on the streets for several days now, falling upon the last resort under their disciplinary code, the Vinaya Pitaka, to call upon the military regime of the country to step down and respect the people.

The people of Burma are facing extremely difficult times. The cost of basic commodities has gone up drastically with an increase of 500 percent in fuel prices alone, while malnutrition in the country affects 40 percent of the population. Burma was named, along with Somalia, as the two most corrupt countries in the latest report by Transparency International.

The monks' demonstrations have been supported by the local people on a very large scale in all parts of the country. In some gatherings, there were more than 100,000 people. In areas where the minorities live there have also been very large crowds of people who have stood beside the monks and participated in the protests.

Photographs distributed through various channels show the Buddhist monks, who have come out in such large numbers to stand up for the rights of the people, being surrounded by the people who have thrown a protective shield around them. Throughout history, the appearance of a large throng of yellow-robed monks in the streets has been perceived as their ultimate gesture, when they must push for changes which have become necessary for the survival of the people.

The military regime, which does not have any economic or political program to respond to this mass upsurge, has threatened retaliatory action and, in some instances, has already attacked the monks and the people with bullets, tear gas and baton charges. The exact number of confirmed casualties is yet unknown. However, it is quite clear that the military regime is unwilling to consider any form of reconciliatory measures that will in some way alleviate the suffering of the masses.

The alienation of this corrupt regime from the people is so complete that it is not in a position to respond, even to such a vast protest by the country's powerful and respected Buddhist clergy. What this confrontation most likely will mean is a protracted struggle, and judging by the experience of 1988, it would not be surprising if intense and excessive violence is used by the military to massacre the monks and the people.

It would be interesting to see how Sri Lanka's Buddhist monks, who are a powerful element on the Sri Lankan political scene, might come forward to support the struggle of their counterparts in Burma as well as to prevent their possible massacre. The Sri Lankan Buddhist clergy claim it is their duty to protect Buddhism, in which one of the triple gems is the monks. Will the Buddhist monks of Sri Lanka let the military regime in their neighboring country cause a massacre of the Buddhist monks of Burma?

Burma's monks are standing against the massive suppression of people's rights and the corruption of a military regime. It would be the duty of everyone who cares for human dignity and the right to life to support the struggle of these monks and the people of Burma, who are trying to prevent a further degeneration of economic and political conditions in the country.

If this struggle is defeated, we are likely to see in Burma the magnification of a catastrophe that may produce large-scale starvation. If any act of solidarity is to be shown to the people of Burma, the time is now. It remains to be seen whether the Sri Lankan Buddhist clergy will extend such solidarity to their counterparts in Burma in their present hour of need.

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(Basil Fernando is director of the Asian Human Rights Commission based in Hong Kong. He is a Sri Lankan lawyer who has also been a senior U.N. human rights officer in Cambodia. He has published several books and written extensively on human rights issues in Asia.)