Friday, 14 October 2011 14:41 Te Te
New Delhi (Mizzima) – More than 200 Burmese activists staged a protest in New Delhi on Thursday, urging visiting Burmese President Thein Sein to release all political prisoners and stop the fighting in ethnic areas of the country.
The protest lasted for more than one hour. Thein Sein, who is on a four-day official visit, is accompanied by 59 delegates including 13 Union ministers and military officers, arrived in New Delhi on Thursday from Bodh Gaya, where he paid homage to the Buddha. It is his first visit to India since he was sworn in as president in March. On the first day of his trip, he visited the location where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment in Bihar State.
Thein Sein will meet with Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and he will return to Burma on Saturday.
The protestors sent a letter to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, urging the government to learn lessons from previous experiences in which Indian-Burmese cooperation was not fruitful because it said the Burmese government repeatedly violated its promises.
On Thursday morning, the Burmese delegation donated robes to monks from 27 monasteries in Bodh Gaya, after which Thein Sein and his wife, Khin Khin Win, travelled to Baramati.
“Monks had to draw lots to decide which monasteries would get which gifts including robes. They gave each monk 5,000 rupee. The ‘resident’s wife donated US$ 100 to each of the monasteries that drew empty lots,” said a Burmese monk in Gaya.
Meanwhile, most of India’s English-language newspapers focused on the freedom of Burmese comedian Zarganar, who was released from prison on Wednesday under a presidential amnesty, rather than Thein Sein’s visit to India. Zarganar was part of an amnesty involving more than 6,000 prisoners. So far, 198 political prisoners have been released, according to the National League for Democracy.
New Delhi (Mizzima) – More than 200 Burmese activists staged a protest in New Delhi on Thursday, urging visiting Burmese President Thein Sein to release all political prisoners and stop the fighting in ethnic areas of the country.
The protest lasted for more than one hour. Thein Sein, who is on a four-day official visit, is accompanied by 59 delegates including 13 Union ministers and military officers, arrived in New Delhi on Thursday from Bodh Gaya, where he paid homage to the Buddha. It is his first visit to India since he was sworn in as president in March. On the first day of his trip, he visited the location where Buddha is said to have attained enlightenment in Bihar State.
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| Burmese pro-democracy activists hold placards as they shout slogans against Burma's military regime during a protest in New Delhi on Friday, October 13, 2011, in opposition to a visit by Burmese President Thein Sein to India. He is currently on a four-day visit that ends on Saturday. Photo: AFP |
Thein Sein will meet with Indian President Pratibha Devisingh Patil and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and he will return to Burma on Saturday.
The protestors sent a letter to Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, urging the government to learn lessons from previous experiences in which Indian-Burmese cooperation was not fruitful because it said the Burmese government repeatedly violated its promises.
On Thursday morning, the Burmese delegation donated robes to monks from 27 monasteries in Bodh Gaya, after which Thein Sein and his wife, Khin Khin Win, travelled to Baramati.
“Monks had to draw lots to decide which monasteries would get which gifts including robes. They gave each monk 5,000 rupee. The ‘resident’s wife donated US$ 100 to each of the monasteries that drew empty lots,” said a Burmese monk in Gaya.
Meanwhile, most of India’s English-language newspapers focused on the freedom of Burmese comedian Zarganar, who was released from prison on Wednesday under a presidential amnesty, rather than Thein Sein’s visit to India. Zarganar was part of an amnesty involving more than 6,000 prisoners. So far, 198 political prisoners have been released, according to the National League for Democracy.
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