Burmese monk update III

By Michael J.W. Stickings

In a land of totalitarianism, a promising development:

Burma's largest anti-government protest in nearly two decades has taken place in the former capital Rangoon, led by Buddhist monks and nuns.

Up to 20,000 people took to the streets on the seventh day of protests calling for an end to the "evil dictatorship".

Unlike a day earlier, police barred a group of monks from entering the road that leads to the home of detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The rallies began last month when the government doubled fuel prices.

BBC South East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head says every day the protests are growing in size -- the campaign the monks began just six days ago is now openly challenging the military, urging all citizens to join in.

This "evil dictatorship" cannot be overthrown too soon.

(For our previous posts on this story, see here, here, and here. More on the "monks' challenge" here. More photos here.)