20,000 Monks To Join Rally On March 12 In Thailand

BANGKOK: - Up to 20,000 Buddhist monks are reported to be preparing to join the mass red-shirt rally in Bangkok on March 12, threatening to mirror the “Saffron Revolution” in Burma in 2007.

Earlier today, Saturday March 6, Arisman Pongruangrong, a prominent member of the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), said he expected up to 20,000 monks from temples such as Dhammakaya and Kaew Fah will join the rally to give moral support to the red shirts, at the same time reminding the government, police and army officials not to harm the protesters” ( seems like someone is using the monks as "shields" for their protest, what a shame, these people want to protest but dare not be in the frontline )

Sean Boonpracong, international media spokesman for the UDD, was quoted saying there “is widespread support from monks throughout the country, who feel there is now a serious imbalance in Thai society.

“Whether 2,000 or 20,000 monks join the protest is yet to be seen, but the message the UDD leadership is receiving is that there is a genuine feeling of unhappiness amongst the monks at the way things stand in Thailand now” ( unhappy with the secular world ?, as far as monks are allowed to practice their religious belief freely without any inteference, they should be happy. Whatever happens outside their monasteries should not be of their concern. Moreover Thailand is not in terrible state at the moment )

The report of large numbers of monks planning to join the red-shirt’s protest comes just one day after deputy prime minister Suthep Thaugsuban said, “monks should not take part in the planned mass anti-government rally next weekend as it is not their affair” ( i agree fully religious institutions should stay out from politics but it was obvious these monks have been used by certain party for their own political benefits )

At the same time, red-shirt groups around the country are said to be chartering boats and barges and plan to travel to Bangkok by river to bypass road blocks to be set up by the government in an attempt to minimize traffic disruption in the capital from the large number of protesters expected ( feel sorry for a wonderful country like Thailand to have to endure one rally after another )