Ashin Sopaka
Five Burmese Buddhist monks locked themselves inside a building at a monastery compound on Tuesday, November 15, 2011. Starting at around 5:30 AM, the monks used handheld loudspeakers to announce their protest. Banners were hung on the exterior walls, with slogans like “Release Political Prisoners,” “Stop Civil War,” and “Give Us Freedom.” A crowd of about 500 onlookers gathered to hear them speak.
The monks have agreed to move their protest to a different monastery in Mandalay, where they will continue their protest on Wednesday. The new protest location will be at Old Masoeyein Monastery, and the talk will be given at around 1 PM inside the monastery compound. A crowd of 300 followed the monks to their new location.
Protesters would like to talk with political opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi by telephone but have yet to make contact with her. The leader of these protests, Ashin Sopaka, previously staged a protest walk in 2007 from Bangkok to Mae Sot, Thailand.
