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Burma: Thousands dead in massacre
of the monks dumped in the jungle
MARCUS
OSCARSSON
UK Daily Mail
Monday October 01, 2007
Thousands of protesters are dead and the bodies of hundreds
of executed monks have been dumped in the jungle, a former intelligence
officer for Burma's ruling junta has revealed.
The most senior official to defect so far, Hla Win, said: "Many
more people have been killed in recent days than you've heard
about. The bodies can be counted in several thousand."
Mr Win, who spoke out as a Swedish diplomat predicted that the
revolt has failed, said he fled when he was ordered to take part
in a massacre of holy men. He has now reached the border with
Thailand.
Meanwhile, the United Nations special envoy was in Burma's new
capital today seeking meetings with the ruling military junta.
(Article continues below)
Ibrahim Gambari met detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi
in Rangoon yesterday. But he has yet to meet the country's senior
generals as he attempts to halt violence against monks and pro-democracy
activists.
It is anticipated the meeting will happen tomorrow.
Heavily-armed troops and police flooded the streets of Rangoon
during Mr Ibrahim's visit to prevent new protests.
Mr Gambari met some of the country's military leaders in Naypyidaw
yesterday and has returned there for further talks. But he did
not meet senior general Than Shwe or his deputy Maung Aye - and
they have issued no comment.
Reports from exiles along the frontier confirmed that hundreds
of monks had simply "disappeared" as 20,000 troops swarmed
around Rangoon yesterday to prevent further demonstrations by
religious groups and civilians.
Word reaching dissidents hiding out on the border suggested that
as well as executions, some 2,000 monks are being held in the
notorious Insein Prison or in university rooms which have been
turned into cells.
There were reports that many were savagely beaten at a sports
ground on the outskirts of Rangoon, where they were heard crying
for help.
Others who had failed to escape disguised as civilians were locked
in their bloodstained temples.
There, troops abandoned religious beliefs, propped their rifles
against statues of Buddha and began cooking meals on stoves set
up in shrines.
In stark contrast, the streets of Rangoon and Mandalay - centres
of the attempted saffron revolution last week - were virtually
deserted.
A Swedish diplomat who visited Burma during the protests said
last night that in her opinion the revolution has failed.
Liselotte Agerlid, who is now in Thailand, said that the Burmese
people now face possibly decades of repression. "The Burma
revolt is over," she added.
"The military regime won and a new generation has been violently
repressed and violently denied democracy. The people in the street
were young people, monks and civilians who were not participating
during the 1988 revolt.
"Now the military has cracked down the revolt, and the result
may very well be that the regime will enjoy another 20 years of
silence, ruling by fear."
Mrs Agerlid said Rangoon is heavily guarded by soldiers.
"There are extremely high numbers of soldiers in Rangoon's
streets," she added. "Anyone can see it is absolutely
impossible for any demonstration to gather, or for anyone to do
anything.
"People are scared and the general assessment is that the
fight is over. We were informed from one of the largest embassies
in Burma that 40 monks in the Insein prison were beaten to death
today and subsequently burned."
The diplomat also said that three monasteries were raided yesterday
afternoon and are now totally abandoned.
At his border hideout last night, 42-year-old Mr Win said he
hopes to cross into Thailand and seek asylum at the Norwegian
Embassy.
The 42-year-old chief of military intelligence in Rangoon's northern
region, added: "I decided to desert when I was ordered to
raid two monasteries and force several hundred monks onto trucks.
"They were to be killed and their bodies dumped deep inside
the jungle. I refused to participate in this."
With his teenage son, he made his escape from Rangoon, leaving
behind his wife and two other sons.
He had no fears for their safety because his brother is a powerful
general who, he believes, will defend the family.
Mr Win's defection will raise a faint hope among tens of thousands
of Burmese who have fled to villages along the Thai border.
They will feel others in the army may follow him and turn on
their ageing leaders, Senior General Than Shwe and his deputy,
Vice Senior General Maung Aye.
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INFOWARS:
BECAUSE THERE'S A WAR ON FOR YOUR MIND
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