Housekeeping

by Danny Fisher

First, more news about the situation in Myanmar/Burma–none of it good, I’m sad to say.

The Tricycle Editor’s Blog has been following the news better than any other blog. Recently, they posted on two disconcerting news items. The first is a chilling news analysis from the New York Times finding that the junta once again has absolute control of the country. The second is a press release about the Human Rights Watch’s 140-page report on the crackdown, which concludes that “many more people were killed and detained in the violent government crackdown on monks and other peaceful protestors in September 2007 than the Burmese government has admitted.”

Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, the United Nations’ human rights expert on Myanmar, agrees with the H.R.W. In his most recent report, he documents 31 deaths, but guesses that the actual death toll is significantly higher.

    Pinheiro, who visited Myanmar on Nov. 11-15, said “credible sources” reported a large number of bodies wrapped in plastic and rice bags that were burned in the early hours of the final days of September. The burning took place at the Ye Way crematorium in Yangon. Authorities blocked Pinheiro from visiting.

    “Sources indicate that it was not usual practice for the crematorium to operate during the hours in question, that normal employees were instructed to keep away, and that the facility was operated on those nights by state security personnel or state-supported groups,” Pinheiro said.

    At least one report indicated that some of those cremated had shaved heads, indicating they were monks, and some had signs of serious injuries.

    Myanmar had earlier said only 10 people died during the nationwide suppression of demonstrations led by Buddhist monks angry at continued military rule of the Southeast Asian nation also known as Burma.

    Pinheiro said the report lists the names of “653 persons detained, 74 persons disappeared and 16 killed–in addition to the list of 15 dead provided by the authorities.”


Back in June, I posted about the fracas around a power company’s development plan that would adversely effect the Bhāvanā Society in High View, West Virginia–”the only Theravāda Buddhist forest monastery in the eastern U.S. and one of only a handful in all of North America.”

The monastery has an update with a new petition.

    The Allegheny Energy Company has announced plans to build a new 500 kV transmission line that would cut across West Virginia. The application before the W.Va. Public Service Commission would route the line across the eastern end of the Bhāvanā Society Forest Monastery grounds. At a July 27, 2007 meeting at Bhāvanā, power company officials gave assurances that a new local survey of the route would be undertaken and that no portion of the line would cross monastery land. But there still exists the possibility the power line and its 200-foot clear-cut swath could be located right beside the Bhāvanā grounds near the men’s cottages (kutis) on the eastern end of the property. While company officials assured Bhāvanā that the line would not cross the monastery property as called for in the current plan, siting such a massive line directly beside the monastery is a continuing source of concern. Apart from the potential health concerns due to close proximity to electromagnetic radiation and the herbicides used to maintain the line, the power line would seriously infringe on the sanctity and integrity of our contemplative way of life.

To support Bhāvanā in their request to the Allegheny Energy Company that they move the line to an alternate site some distance away from the monastery’s property, send letters, faxes and e-mails to the government officials listed here.


Lastly, just something from the maintenance department: I’m re-posting the second part of my recent interview with Peter Romaskiewicz here. For some reason, iTunes didn’t pick it up before, so listeners there have only been able to access the first part. Hopefully, the second part will now be available for download there.