200 Buddhist monks protest in Pokukku, seat of rebellion

It was not immediately known if authorities stopped the Pokokku protest, the first sign of dissent since a brutal military crackdown on peaceful monk-led demonstrations in Yangon on September 26-27 that has outraged world opinion and renewed international calls on the country's junta to bring about democratic reforms.

Pokokku, a sleepy little town on the banks of the Irrawaddy River, 30 kilometres north-east of Bagan, provided the spark for a Buddhist rebellion against Burma's military tyranny that ended in bloodshed in the streets of Rangoon last month.

On September 5, hundreds of monks and their supporters marched the dusty streets of Pokokku chanting prayers for peace and urging the government to reverse a fuel hike that was cutting into the already meagre incomes of the impoverished majority.

When police and troops started shooting, beating monks and, according to one witness, tied at least one monk to a telegraph pole, angry monks from the town's largest monastery retaliated by taking several town officials who had come to negotiate with the abbot hostage and burnt their four cars at the monastery gates. The officials were later released unharmed.

News of the clash spread and monks across the nation stepped up their protests, demanding the government apologize for the beatings in Pokokku.

Those escalated into the mass democracy demonstrations that ended in tragedy on September 27 when troops shot at protesters, killing at least 10 people, although some witnesses put that figure much higher.//dpa