A Letter From a Monk: A Call for Righteousness
Sometimes one can be silent no longer, and this includes those from the monastic population as well. We enthusiastically welcome the following text, written by a monk in Myanmar who wishes to be anonymous for his safety. The letter that follows is powerful example of how a monk can continue to keep his vows of renunciation from the world, while taking a firm ethical stand and using his moral authority where needed. We greatly applaud this monk for his courage and vision, and welcome any others who also wish to share at this time on our platform.
Mingalarbar. Dear ladies and gentlemen, we need your help. The Myanmar police and army are now led by the rebel and national traitor, dictator General Min Aung Hlaing.
On the eighth of November, the National League for Democracy Party won the Myanmar elections in a landslide victory. The Myanmar military-backed opposition party lost the elections and accused the NLD government of rigging the elections without any evidence. During the first government meeting on the first of February this year, military generals led by Gen. Min Aung Hlaing invaded and forcefully imprisoned the parliament members, widely regarded as the legitimate government of Myanmar, including the Australian economic advisor Sean Cornell. The military has refused the members of parliament any contact with their lawyers.
On the same day, ASEAN, the Association of South East Nations, and the United Kingdom condemned the coup in an official statement. Later the USA, Belgium, Australia, India, and the Czech Republic along with the United Nations also issued statements of condemnation. During a live broadcast from a UN meeting on the twenty-sixth of February, it was clear that many more countries from all around the world condemn the coup and are calling for the release of the imprisoned members of parliament. According to the CRPH, the committee of lawmakers who represent the legally elected Myanmar government, the military coup amounts to high treason, an offense punishable by death in Myanmar.
The new military dictatorship attempted to cut off Myanmar from the rest of the world by completely blocking the Internet in the days following the coup and thereafter every day in the morning. Thousands of criminals have been released from prisons and are being paid to harass people in their homes, serving as a pretext for imposing martial law. (These prisoners, some of which are just children, are drugged with opiate injections and given poison with instructions to contaminate the water supply as well as glass bottles full of gasoline and lighters to set buildings on fire. Some are disguised as monks in hopes that photos will be taken of citizens attacking these fake monks and used as an excuse to use force.) In recent days the military has also been paying poor people to represent the army in military-backed demonstrations and violently attack unarmed civilians with random knife stabbings.
Demonstrations have grown from hospital strikes into nationwide events, including government workers of various professions and now includes millions of civilians. Banks and factories are closed up until today to prevent the military from misusing the country's finances and other resources.
General Min Aung Hlaing has organized police and army shootings directed at peacefully demonstrating people, killing eight young men and women and injuring many more. Over 700 people are now in prison for voicing their disapproval.
People do not want new elections. People do not want to demonstrate or punish anybody. The people of Myanmar only want to see Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and all the legally elected parliament members released from prison and house arrest, and restored to their rightfully elected positions.
Myanmar is officially a Buddhist country, and believe it or not, General Min Aung Hlaing, is a devout Buddhist. He worships highly revered monks and has respect for Buddhist images. General Min Aung Hlaing is not special. The majority of Myanmar generals worship monks and listen to the Buddha's Teachings. The problem is that they do not follow those teachings, they only listen.
One Myanmar monk in particular, the venerable Sitagu Sayadaw, who is one of the leading representatives of Myanmar in world peace conferences, is also highly esteemed by the Myanmar military. General Min Aung Hlaing supports Sitagu Sayadaw. Although the international community is somewhat suspicious regarding the Sayadaw's moves, many Myanmar people trust him. One of the Sitagu Sayadaw's devotees has suggested that Sitagu Sayadaw admonishes the Myanmar Military and urges them to change their ways and become good people.
Monks have no power over the military. A few days before the military coup, the State Council of Myanmar Leading Monks beseeched the military chiefs to follow the Buddha's teachings of loving-kindness.
In 2007, during the so-called Saffron Revolution, the Myanmar military visited a Buddhist monastery, asked all monks to go outside, and then banged their heads into the monastery walls. The army killed over 50 monks during the 2007 uprising. Therefore today, monks are careful and do not rush to admonish or criticize the military.
The teachings of a saint or Enlightened person become effective only if we apply them in our lives. I do not wish anybody any harm. We refrain from doing evil and also encourage and help others to stop doing evil. You can help Myanmar by spreading the message and talking to people of influence. The uprising in 2007 was successful only because of international pressure. We need that support again. We can see Myanmar people gradually changing the language on their demonstration placards from Myanmar to English because they know that you, the foreign communities, are their only hope.