Surprise check on monks’ office in Bangladesh

by Nyein Chan

Dhaka (Mizzima) – Police in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh raided the International Monks’ Organization office here today.

DSP Inspector Arlanky along with two policemen arrived in the office at about 4 p.m. and interrogated the monks in the office for about an hour.

Sayadaw (abbot) U Kay Meinda told Mizzima that they answered the questions the police officer asked. They said that they formed the monks’ organization in 2007. The monks who took part in the Saffron Revolution joined the Ne Pyi Ththis organization based in the US which has branches in other countries. It is working for the restoration of democracy in Burma through non-violent means.

“Our organization stages protest demonstrations frequently on the Burma issue. We staged a demonstration yesterday on Daw Aung Suu Kyi’s 64th birthday. I think the police were investigating because of this,” Sayadaw added.

The police asked if the computer being used in the office is registered with the Bangladesh government. They also wanted to know how and where the office procures establishment costs, Pyi Thein, the person in-charge of the office, told Mizzima.

After the brutal and violent crackdown against the monk-led peaceful demonstration in 2007, the monks who took part in it fled to neigbouring countries after which they formed the International Monks’ Organization.