Yangon, Myanmar – Myanmar’s military leaders said weapons had been seized from Buddhist monasteries and announced dozens of new arrests Sunday, defying global outrage over its violent repression of protesters who sought an end to 45 years of dictatorship.
Recent raids on monasteries turned up guns, knives and ammunition, though it was not clear to whom they belonged, according to The New Light of Myanmar, a mouthpiece of the junta.
The government threatened to punish any monks who violate the law, stepping up pressure on clerics who led the protests.
Security eased in the largest city of Yangon more than a week after soldiers and police opened fire on demonstrators. Some roadblocks were removed, and visitors began trickling back to the heavily guarded Shwedagon and Sule pagodas, the starting and finishing points of protests that began in mid-August over a sharp fuel-price increase.
The junta says at least 10 people were killed in its Sept. 26-27 crackdown – though independent sources say the toll was likely much higher – and that some 1,000 remain in detention centers.
Malaysia urged the military regime on Sunday to quickly hold unconditional talks with pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who remains under house arrest, before the world pushes harder for political change.
