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Myanmar police, soldiers deployed to pagodas and monasteries
YANGON: Military-ruled Myanmar deployed armed soldiers and riot police to key pagodas and monasteries around Yangon on Wednesday, in a bid to prevent Buddhist monks from staging anti-military protests, witnesses said.
Security forces were deployed around the Shwedagon Pagoda, where monks have begun their marches over the last eight days, as well as the Sule Pagoda, a key rallying point in the city centre, witnesses said.
The pagodas were not closed, but everyone was searched before being allowed to enter.
Security was also tight around key monasteries in the city, apparently in a bid to prevent the monks from assembling, witnesses said.
The tightened security came after the government declared a dusk to dawn curfew and reiterated its ban on gatherings of more than five people.
Officials announced the curfew by riding around Yangon and the second city of Mandalay during the night, using loudspeakers to warn the public.
Also during the night, Myanmar's most famous comedian Zaganar, who had publicly thrown his support behind the monks, was arrested at his home, a friend told AFP.
"Zaganar was arrested around 1:30 am at his home," because he brought food and water to the monks to support the protests, a friend told AFP.
Zaganar, along with other prominent movie stars and artists, had vocally urged the public to support the monks leading the most serious protests against the military regime in nearly two decades.
On Monday and Tuesday, he delivered food and water to monks as they prepared for their protests that drew 100,000 people into the streets.
Over the weekend, he gave interviews on short-wave radio broadcasts into Myanmar from outside the country, urging the public to rally behind the monks.
"The monks are the ones out praying for us, while we're at home watching TV. I'm ashamed of us," Zaganar said. - AFP/ac
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