YANGON, Sept 18: Hundreds of monks on Tuesday marched peacefully in Yangon and towns across Myanmar, defying the military regime and chanting Buddhist prayers in the biggest anti-junta rally in a decade.

More than 300 monks tried to march to Yangon’s famous Shwedagon Pagoda, but authorities sealed off Myanmar’s most important landmark and the city’s two other main pagodas, forcing them to march through the city.

Hundreds of people joined the march, smiling and clapping as they followed the monks, witnesses said. While the protest was not impeded by police, authorities seized cameras from two journalists working for the Japanese media.

But security officials used tear gas and fired warning shots in the air to disperse 1,000 monks protesting against the junta in Sittwe, west of Yangon, US-funded Radio Free Asia said, quoting witnesses.

At least three monks were arrested in the port city, 560 kilometres west of Yangon, the Myanmar-language service of the broadcaster said.

It gave no further details.

In Pegu, 80km north of Yangon, at least 1,000 monks marched peacefully to a local pagoda, according to witnesses.“They marched around the city to the Shwemawdaw pagoda while thousands of people were watching,” one eyewitness said.

Some 300 monks protested in two towns near the city of Mandalay and 90 monks also took to the streets peacefully for two hours in Aunglan, north of Yangon, a Yangon-based Western diplomat said, citing witnesses in the towns.

A resident in Pakokku, south of Mandalay, said that monks marched through the town. Mandaly, Myanmar’s second-largest city, is home to 300,000 Buddhist monks.

Tuesday’s marches by monks marked the biggest show of public defiance against Myanmar’s junta since peaceful street demonstrations broke out in Yangon on Aug 19 in anger at an enormous hike in fuel prices.

More than 200 riot police remained in trucks on nearby streets in Yangon on Tuesday while dozens of plainclothed officers on motorcycles followed the marching monks. Authorities have yet to arrest anyone from the Yangon rally.

The junta is cautious about quelling dissent among monks since a violent crackdown against them earlier in the month triggered outrage, prompting young monks to briefly kidnap government officials at a monastery.

Monks have demanded an apology from the government after soldiers beat them with bamboo sticks.

“This time, authorities are very careful. They did not want to harm monks because they knew such acts could backfire against them,” said Win Min, a Thailand-based analyst.

“Monks are likely to continue their protests until the government apologises.” Aung Naing Oo, a Thai-based analyst, said the marches by monks underlined their growing frustrations with the junta.

“The marches were significant because they defied tight security. Monks are very frustrated with the junta’s handling of the economy,” he said.

Myanmar’s economy has been reeling under decades of mismanagement by the junta, while tighter European Union and US sanctions since the detention of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in May 2003 are also biting hard.

Myanmar’s state media has labelled the protest leaders as “devils” and accused them of trying to corrupt young monks.—AFP