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NEWS - Myanmar Regime Curtails Reli



Myanmar Regime Curtails Religious Freedom-Students

               Reuters
               06-JAN-98

               BANGKOK, Jan 6 (Reuters) - Myanmar's
               (Burma's) ruling State Peace and
               Development Council (SPDC) has
               curtailed religious freedom by forcing
               pro-democracy activists to get permission
               to enter the monkhood, an exiled students
               group said on Tuesday. 

               The All Burma Students' Democratic Front
               (ABSDF) said members of Nobel
               Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition
               National League for Democracy (NLD)
               were now required to obtain permission
               from authorities should they wish to enroll
               as monks in the predominently Buddhist
               country. 

               It is a tradition in many Buddhist nations
               that devotees spend at least seven days
               as monks or nuns during their lives. 

               ``Although the military regime previously
               placed various kinds of restrictions on the
               NLD and their associates for their political
               activities this is believed to be the first
               time the authorities have begun to obstruct
               social and religious activities of party
               members and their families,'' the
               Thailand-based students group said in a
               statement. 

               ``The All Burma Students' Democratic
               Front considers the restrictions placed on
               NLD members and their families as
               immoral and pure harassment and
               intimidation,'' it added. 

               The ruling State Peace and Development
               Council, which adopted its name in
               November, was previously known as the
               State Law and Order restoration Council
               (SLORC). 

               The SLORC, which had ruled Myanmar
               since brutally crushing a popular uprising
               in 1988, has occasionally cracked down
               on the activities of monks some of which
               were involved in those demonstrations. 

               Suu Kyi's NLD won a landslide election
               victory in 1990 which was never
               recognised by the military. ^MORE@ 

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