Hundreds of Buddhist monks marched peacefully Monday in military-ruled Myanmar, sources there said, amid reports that some Buddhist groups may toughen their stance against the junta. A resident in Yangon said that about 500 monks in Kyaukpadaung town in central Myanmar, near Mandalay, had walked around the town reciting traditional religious chants to ward off evil.
People turned out to watch the monks, said the Yangon source, who refused to be named for fear of repercussions from the military junta. A Western diplomat in Yangon said he heard that two such marches took place Monday - one in Kyaukpadaung and another in Chauk town in central Magway division, where he said he heard that hundreds of monks marched.