Burmese authorities banned Buddhist monks from preaching
Democratic Voice of Burma, May 10, 2005
Mandalay, Myanmar -- The local authorities of Burma?s military junta, State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) at Mandalay in central Burma, stopped a famous Buddhist monk from delivering a sermon at a religious festival, presumably because of his association with Burma?s democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.
The religious festival is starting on May 12, but the authorities only informed the abbot of Waginggone Monastery Rev. U Teikka on the morning of 10 May not to go ahead with his religious duty.
A local resident told DVB that Aung San Suu Kyi, who is currently under house arrest in Rangoon, paid a visit to the monastery and offered her obeisance to the monk, during her last tour to upper Burma in 2003.
When DVB contacted the abbot, he said in good humour that there must be some wrong views within the local authorities.
?I believe that they should not ban me thus when it comes to Lord Buddha,? he said. ?The acolytes are feeling very sad about it. Whatever people want to know about what they should know about the ?damma? or teachings, it is my duty to teach them.?
