Monks declared 'Boycott' against Suu Kyi's brother

Tuesday, 02 February 2010 20:52 Kyaw Kha

Chiang Mai (Mizzima) – The All Burma Monks Organization (ABMO) has declared Aung San Oo, brother of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi as unethical and rejected his association with Buddhism for not withdrawing a case filed against his detained younger sister.

The ABMO, in their statement, said as Aung San Oo has failed to reply to them by the January 31 deadline they have given him, they would impose religious sanction, known as ‘Pattani Kuzanakan’, an act of boycott by the monks, on him and his wife Le Le Nwe Thein.

The secret monk’s organization sent a letter to him on January 24, asking him to withdraw the case he had filed against his sister, Aung San Suu Kyi. The monks said, filing an inheritance case on the estate and filing the letter of administration of this inheritance are tantamount to harassing Suu Kyi and attempting to evict her from the house, which they interpret as attack against the people.

Pattani Kuzanakan, in Buddhist canon, means imposing boycott against the offender and prohibits any monks from accepting offertories and preaching sermon to the offender and literally outcast them from the Buddhist society.

But the monks said, they are willing to withdraw all religious sanctions against them if Aung San Oo withdraws the cases and objections filed against his sister, Aung San Suu Kyi under various laws.

Of the two living children of Burma’s Independence architect Bogyoke (General) Aung San, Aung San Oo, an engineer by profession, has close ties with the regime, contrary to his younger sister. Despite his US citizenship, he is believed to own a plot in the ancient city of Pagan. Le Le Nwe Thein is widely believed to harbour political ambitious.

An abbot from Rangoon Division Sangha Maha Nayaka said that five monks can represent the entire monks and call for Pattani Kuzanakan. And as the offenders are imposed religious sanctions they can no longer worship the three Buddhist Ratna (jewels) - Lord Buddha, his Dhama (teaching) and the Sangha (monks) – thus they have no opportunity of attaining good merits in the Sansara.

“Buddhists usually invite monks to their religious ceremonies and funerals. If someone is an outcast from the Buddhist society, these people will lose all their religious rights,” Abbot Bahhanta Kawthala said.

After the brutal crackdown on monk-led protest in September 2007 by the military regime, monks at home and abroad have called for Pattani Kuzanakan against Senior Gen Than Shwe and his family members, senior military officers and the perpetrators involved in the violent crackdown.

However, the Burmese Military Generals led by Snr Gen Than Shwe are still seen continuing perform religious activities including hoisting of umbrellas at the pagodas and offering food to abbots and monks.

“Whatever they [the Generals] do in their religious activities under either reverence or pretensions or under mandatory pressures for political reasons, offenders who are being boycotted or of whom the Pattani Kuzanakan has provoked cannot gain good merits and their efforts would be in vain,” U Sandaw Batha Sara said, a Central Committee member of the International Monks Organization (Sasana Moli), told Mizzima.

In 1990, monks in Burma’s ancient capital of Mandalay declared the Pattani Kuzanakan against the ruling government, and it was joined by over 20,000 monks. Authorities, in order to subdue the protest, arrested several monks.

According to the Thailand-based ‘Assistance Association Political Prisoners-Burma’ (AAPP-B), over 250 monks are still lingering in prisons across the country.