Myanmar monks, guarded by onlookers, march in Yangon as protests continue

September 20, 2007 2:12 AM

YANGON, Myanmar (AP) - Almost 1,000 Buddhist monks marched through Myanmar's biggest city Thursday while protected by onlookers, keeping alive the most sustained protests against the military government in at least a decade.

Having gathered at the golden hilltop Shwedagon pagoda, the country's most revered shrine, the monks marched to Sule pagoda in downtown Yangon and rallied briefly outside the U.S. Embassy. Washington is one of the junta's major foreign critics.

It was the third straight day the monks have marched in Yangon.

At the head of the procession were monks carrying religious flags and one holding a begging bowl upside down - a symbol of protest. As they walked, about 1,000 onlookers marched alongside, hands linked, to prevent any intrusions.

No uniformed security personnel were in sight, though dozens of plainclothesmen stood by without interfering.

The monks have given new life to a protest movement that began a month ago after the government raised fuel prices, sparking anger over economic hardship in the impoverished Southeast Asian nation.

The demonstrations also reflect long pent-up opposition to the military regime and have become the most sustained challenge to the junta since a wave of student demonstrations that were put down by force in December 1996.

Monks in Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, have historically been at the forefront of protests - first against British colonialism and later military dictatorship. They also played a prominent part in a failed 1988 pro-democracy uprising that sought an end to military rule, imposed since 1962.

AP-WS-09-20-07 0459EDT