Burma monks protest in Mandalay ove

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Subject: Burma monks protest in Mandalay over weekend 

    RANGOON, March 17 (Reuter) - Buddhist monks demonstrated
over the weekend in Burma's second city Mandalay, but the
protests were quelled without incident, government sources said
on Monday.
    The sources said the demonstrations were sparked by rumours
that a young Buddhist girl had been raped by some Moslems. No
further details were available and spokesmen for the military
government were not immediately available for comment.
    A government source said officials were still looking into
the protest, which apparently took place on Saturday. He said
there was no shooting involved and there were no casualties.
    "We have now succeeded in quelling the riots," he said.
    Buddhist monks played a key role in 1988 national
pro-democracy uprisings when hundreds of thousands of people
took to the streets to protest against the military regime. The
demonstrations were eventually quashed by the government which
killed or imprisoned thousands -- including monks.
    Since then the Buddhist monks have been largely silenced but
diplomats and analysts say there have been some signs of unrest
among younger monks who want to see Burma return to democracy.
Opposition sources say support from monks would be crucial for
major change to take place in Burma.
 REUTER