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Hi all, does anyone have any experience on the process of renewing your Myanmar helper’s passport ? I tried to get an appointment via the Myanmar embassy’s website but the damn website doesn’t work. I was also told that they don’t accept renewal until there’s only a month left in the passport’s validity. So I’d like to get help from anyone here who has gone thru the actual process, to share with him how to get a queue number to make an appt, the leadtime to expect and what else to do. Jin cham, wanna go for trip in Dec and just realised the helper’s passport expiring in Jan 2024. Cannot book tickets and cannot renew passport because of the system. Thanks in advance!

Old thread. Suu Kyi in trouble with the Army again. Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior party figures detained by army Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and other senior figures from the ruling party have been detained in an early morning raid, the spokesman for the governing National League for Democracy said on Monday (Feb 1). The move comes after days of escalating tension between the civilian government and the powerful military that stirred fears of a coup in the aftermath of an election the army says was fraudulent. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asia/myanmar-leader-aung-san-suu-kyi-detained-spokesman-myo-nyunt-14084948

Singapore Insurance agent who posed as 'Lord Voldemort' jailed after demanding Bitcoin from clients SINGAPORE: An insurance agent took revenge on former and potential clients who rejected his business by sending them threatening letters signed off as "Lord Voldemort". For his actions, Myanmar national and Singapore permanent resident Ye Lin Myint, 36, was sentenced to jail for two years and five months on Tuesday (Jan 29). Advertisement The court heard that Ye sent such letters to 33 people in total, demanding they each send him one Bitcoin, which was worth between S$6,500 and S$9,900 at the time. The Prudential insurance agent, who is no longer with the company, began by mailing letters to the residential addresses of people he viewed as potential or former clients who rejected him. They were either his current clients who failed to turn up for scheduled appointments with him, clients who cancelled insurance policies they previously bought from him, or potential clients who did not get insurance policies from him. He began his preparations in July 2017, using his wife's laptop to create an email account with a Switzerland-based email service that did not require any personal information.Ye also created a Bitcoin wallet to receive the cryptocurrency and linked it to the email account he had created under the name "Lord Voldemort". After sending several letters and emails to these clients and potential clients in August 2017, the insurance agent read a news article about unlicensed moneylenders pressuring debtors by harassing their neighbours. He decided he would extend his harassment to the neighbours of his clients, and sent letters to them as well. These letters threatened harassment of the neighbours' homes if they did not "urge" his clients to pay Ye what he had asked for. One such email read: "For the past few months, I have been monitoring you and your wife and I know everything about you and your family. I know where you live, where you work. "I can make your life total humiliated and miserable [sic] in your Myanmar community. I can make you become jobless. I can even physically harm you and your wife and your parents if I want to." The Singapore Police Force, along with Nee Soon Member of Parliament Lee Bee Wah, issued online advisories to warn those who received such letters not to respond to them. None of the victims transferred Bitcoins to the accused, but all of them made police reports, Deputy Public Prosecutor Thiagesh Sukumaran said. Ye was arrested after extensive investigations by the police, which included taking multiple victim statements and using DNA evidence to trace him. SUSTAINED CAMPAIGN OF HARASSMENT Ye pleaded guilty to five charges of criminal intimidation and eight charges under the Protection from Harassment Act, with another 30 charges taken into consideration. The prosecution had asked for a jail term of three years and three months, saying that the accused had conducted "a persistent, relentless and sustained campaign of harassment". "This is by far one of the worst cases of harassment prosecuted under the Protection from Harassment Act," said the prosecutor, pointing out the multiple victims and large degree of harassment including threats of fire and vandalism. The defence said Ye had a clean record and was diagnosed with mild depression at the time of the offences. He had also faced financial problems and family issues while working as an insurance agent, a job he had held since 2011. District Judge Marvin Bay said he took note of these points, but added that Ye's messages were "malicious and even cruel", and he had resorted to threats in some cases. In one instance, Ye told a victim: "Do you really want to stay stressful not knowing whether (your daughter) will be safe or not." The judge said Ye's "fanciful use of character names such as Harry Potter's nemesis Lord Voldemort and Dr Bruce Banner, the genteel alter ego of Marvel character The Incredible Hulk" should not distract from the malign purpose of Ye's intimidating messages. Read more at https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/jail-for-insurance-agent-who-posed-lord-voldermort-11179786

Guys, I have a problem here...... my current Indo maid who has followed me for 4 years wants to go home. Great maid, no complaints, only compliments we employed a Myanmar maid and she is currently understudying the Indo maid. Problem: Myanmar maid Cons: really cannot speak english.....real comms issue here.....not quite intelligent so not much cmmon sense power Myanmar maid Pros: very hard working, willing to learn, New Indo maid Pros: Ah Ma can speak a bit of Malay so solve the comms issue New Indo maid Cons: take a risk on the character part Should we train the Myanmar maid to speak English by giving intensive English lessons, maybe in DVD form or Should we go get an Indo maid?

Fascinating piece I saw in my Facebook feed. It's written by the Brits. The Westerners have generally lauded ASSK for her fight for her country's freedom but I have not read a single western piece which single her out for her political ambitions. If you want me to sum up this piece diplomatically - "She is a politician". http://blogs.channel4.com/world-news-blog/aung-san-suu-kyi-falling-grace/26332 As political heroes go, few rank higher that Burmese opposition leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Most people know her as a modern-day saint – the diminutive democrat who defied Burma’s ruthless military leaders. Yet an increasing number are beginning to question Ms Suu Kyi’s judgement. Remarks made in a BBC television interview this week in relation to that country’s brutal ethnic conflict between Buddhists and the minority Muslims have earned particular criticism. Observers and activists have accused Burma’s “icon of democracy” of factual inaccuracies and a surprising shortage of compassion. Ethnic violence erupted last year in Sittwe, the capital of Burma’s Rakhine state. Rohingya Muslims bore the brunt of the violence with an estimated 142,000 now living in a series of squalid camps. In April, Human Rights Watch accused government and military officials, as well as local extremist groups, of ethnic cleansing. When asked about HRW’s findings by the BBC, Ms Suu Kyi dismissed them out of hand. “It’s not ethnic cleansing,” she said. “What the world needs to understand (is) that the fear is not just on the side of the Muslims, but on the side of the Buddhists as well.” This is her standard response to questions about the violence. Nobody bears responsibility. Instead, “fear” is blamed. Everyone suffers “equally”. In Ms Suu Kyi’s world, victims and offenders are the same. Unfortunately, it’s not true. The vast majority of Muslim Rohingya residents in Sittwe have been cleared out while Buddhists (for the most part) remain in their homes. Furthermore, the Rohingya are politically powerless. They are denied citizenship in Burma and face a wide range of draconian restrictions on healthcare, schooling, travel – even their ability to have children. The Buddhist population on the other hand face no comparable restrictions – and why would they? They control the local and state government. Muslims in Burma were troubled by several other references in her BBC interview. First, a reference to those Muslims who had “managed to integrate” has made many feel uncomfortable. Here’s what she said: “I would like to make the point that there are many moderate Muslims in Burma who have been well integrated into our society….” That’s got many people asking whether she thinks Muslims have to acquire some sort of “Burmeseness” in order to be “accepted”. There is, of course, no such thing as a national identity in Burma. The constitution recognises 135 different ethnic groups Secondly, Ms Suu Kyi seems to suggest that the violence was caused by Buddhists’ fear of what she calls “global Muslim power”, saying: “You, I think, will accept that there is a perception that Muslim power, global Muslim power, is very great and certainly that is the perception in many parts of the world, and in our country too.” This is dangerous territory for the Nobel Prize winner. The Rohingya have not been linked with any acts of violence – or pan-Arab extremist groups like al-Qaeda – despite the desperate situation they find themselves in. If Burmese Buddhists perceive Muslim groups like the Rohingya to be part of a “global Muslim power movement”, it is incumbent on her, as a person with real moral authority, to correct that misconception. Despite her comments, Ms Suu Kyi finds herself very much in demand. She has been in the UK this week visiting a long list of dignitaries, like the Prime Minister David Cameron and former leader Gordon Brown, as well as Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall. Today, Ms Suu Kyi travelled to Sandhurst military academy (see picture above) to “deliver a speech and see the cadets training,” according to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Interestingly, Ms Suu Kyi won’t be visiting any civil rights groups in London – the organisations who supported her vigorously when she spent nearly two decades under house arrest. Nor is she expected to drop in on members of the sizeable Burmese community in the UK. To do so would lead to the sort of robust exchange of views that our modern-day saint now seems keen to avoid.

http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/courts-crime/judge-yangon-doctors-papers-may-not-be-fake IT professionals with fake MBA is one thing but doctors with questionable qualifications is quite another. lucky that SMA did their due dilligence. just quick question to the doctors here. would you question a doctor's competence if he's not registered with the medical council? would any of you still dare go to him, even if he has a degree? i find it quite scary. my view is, if in doubt, any doubt at all, no matter how small, they should not be allowed to practice here. what do you guys think?

YANGON: A Dutch tourist has been detained in Myanmar for insulting religion after being accused of pulling the plug on a speaker relaying a late-night Buddhist sermon in Mandalay. Klass Haytema, 30, has been held since Friday (Sep 23) night when he allegedly disconnected the cable linking an amplifier and a speaker at a hall playing the sermon after he complained that it was disturbing him, police said. "The religious hall is not far from the hotel where he was staying... he said he did it because it was too noisy for him," Kyi Soe, police chief at Maha Aung Myay township, told AFP. An angry crowd followed the man back to his hotel, where he was taken into custody by police and later transferred to a Mandalay prison. "We detained him for insulting religion," he said, adding it was under section 295 of Myanmar's penal code. He is yet to be charged but the law carries up to a two year jail term and fine. Buddhist-majority Myanmar is deeply devout and several foreigners have been found guilty of insulting religion. In July a Spanish tourist was deported from Myanmar after monks complained about a tattoo of Buddha he had on his leg. Last year a New Zealand bar manager spent 10 months in jail for "insulting religion" by using a Buddha image to promote a cheap drinks night. Buddhist nationalism has surged in Myanmar in recent years, with the country's Muslim minority -- around five percent of the population -- facing particular pressure. - AFP http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/dutchman-held-in-myanmar-after-pulling-plug-on-buddhist-sermon/3157058.html

Hi Brothers, i just came back from Myanmar and wanted to change their currency back to SGD. I went to places like Peninsula and Change Alley but the money changers there say they don't buy Myanmar Kyat. Any brothers know of any money changer in Singapore which buys in Myanmar Kyat ?

Here we go again! http://women.asiaone.com/women/people/miss-world-singapore-2015-draws-flak-myanmar-roots Miss World Singapore 2015 draws flak for Myanmar roots Charlene ChuaThe New PaperSunday, Oct 25, 2015 20151023_limelite2.jpg Winning a beauty pageant has been her dream since she was a little girl. Miss Charity Maru, also known as Charity Lu Lu Seng, finally tasted sweet victory on Wednesday night. The 24-year-old freelance translator beat 13 other contestants to be crowned Miss World Singapore 2015 at the One Farrer Hotel & Spa. But her joy was quickly tainted by criticism online that she is not the best person to represent Singapore at the international finals on Dec 19 in Sanya, China. The debate started because Miss Maru, is a relatively new citizen: She received her pink IC only in 2007. She was born in northern Myanmar to a Kachin family. The Kachin people are made up of ethnic groups who inhabit the northern Kachin State and neighbouring areas of China and India. Miss Maru, who is proud of her Kachin roots, said she loves Singapore and does not see why she cannot have the best of both worlds in her pageant journey. "One of my goals I set for myself should I win Miss World Singapore was to introduce my people to the world." When asked what she meant by "my people", Miss Maru said she meant the Kachin. "I believe that I am the first Kachin to take part in the Miss World Pageant. "Also, now that I am Singaporean, I want to represent Singapore well at the finals by showing that charity, which is a big component of Miss World, should be a lifestyle choice instead of a one-off thing." Some of her online detractors were adamant that should they support Miss Maru, they want her to identify only with being Singaporean when she takes to the world stage. Wrote one netizen: "Charity is a Singapore citizen with a pink Singapore identity card. "She is not representing Myanmar and therefore...she should be proud, and only be proud, to be a Singaporean." On the flak she has received, Miss Maru told The New Paper: "I grew up here, this is my home and I'm proud to be a Singaporean. "I hope people would respect me just as a Singaporean." CAME HERE AT 12 Miss Maru, who is 1.7m tall, was brought up by her grandmother and aunts in Myanmar as her parents came to Singapore to work when she was young. Her father is a senior engineer and her retired mother was a nurse in Tan Tock Seng Hospital. When she was 12, her parents brought her here to live with them. The former student of Balestier Hill Primary School, Beatty Secondary School and Singapore Polytechnic has been volunteering for the last two years as a Sunday school teacher at Kachin Baptist Church (Singapore), where she enjoys being a youth leader. Although she had, from the time she was young, yearned to be a beauty queen, she refused to join beauty pageants because most of them required participants to wear swimsuits. Said Miss Maru: "So when I read that this year (for the first time in 63 years), Miss World was going to remove the swimsuit round from the international finals, it was a dream come true for me to join the local pageant, and then actually win it. "I had joined it secretly and told my parents only on the morning of the (local) finals that I was a Miss World finalist." As a nod to Miss World's chairman Julia Morley's decision to cut the swimsuit round, the organiser of Miss World Singapore, Mr Raymund Ooi, also turned the bikini segment this year into a casual wear segment. Miss Maru is also more determined than ever to "improve" on herself as she wants to win a title at the competition. For example, she will be working on her catwalk, which she feels is not up to standard. The self-confessed sweat-hater, who weighs 56kg, also intends to do more toning exercises so that she will have a better physique. From now to the competition, she will not eat dinner and will have her last meal every day at 4pm in order to keep her weight down. She will also be working hard on her community project in Singapore, which will count for 40 per cent of her score in China. Said Miss Maru: "I am prepared to win something at the Miss World finals. "I will do everything that I can to get it for Singapore.

Migrant workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun were charged with the murder of David Miller, 24, and the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23. The tourists’ battered bodies were found on the southern island of Koh Tao on September 15. The arrests of the men, both in their early twenties, followed intense scrutiny of Thai authorities which have been accused of mishandling the investigation. http://www.thenational.ae/world/southeast-asia/myanmar-man-accused-of-british-murders-is-scapegoat YANGON// The mother of one of the Myanmar men accused of murdering two British tourists in Thailand has said her son is a “scapegoat”. Migrant workers Zaw Lin and Win Zaw Tun were charged with the murder of David Miller, 24, and the rape and murder of Hannah Witheridge, 23. The tourists’ battered bodies were found on the southern island of Koh Tao on September 15. The arrests of the men, both in their early twenties, followed intense scrutiny of Thai authorities which have been accused of mishandling the investigation. “The case has been fixed, my son is a scapegoat,” Zaw Lin’s mother Phyu Shwe Nu said, adding her son “has never done anything violent before”. Britain has voiced concerns about the way Thai police had handled the case so far and offered police support to Thailand. Myanmar president Thein Sein has also asked for a “fair” investigation, amid reports the accused were tortured into confessing.The mother of the second suspect, Win Zaw Tun, said the news of her son’s arrest had left her suicidal. Thailand has strongly rejected allegations of torture and defended its probe, with junta chief and premier Prayut Chan-ocha saying the case was “reliable”. Earlier in the week Thai authorities agreed to accept British and Myanmar observers to monitor the case but details of what form this would take were not provided. Thai police have said the two Myanmar suspects confessed to the crime and their DNA matched samples taken from Witheridge’s body. The murders dealt another blow to Thailand’s tarnished image as a tourist haven after months of protests in Bangkok led to a coup in May and the introduction of martial law -- which has yet to be lifted.* Agence France-Presse

Myanmar is bo sei and chao kwan here next time when we host the SEA games, we shall include mahjong, chor dai D, gor li (marbles) and zero-point so that they can't compete with us

Dear parents, I am from R&Q Manpower Pte Ltd. We provide and supply Myanmar maids to local market. We have both experience and fresh maids. We fly to Myanmar every months to interview the maids personally. We have our own Myanmese interpretor to do counselling for the maids. If you are interested in employing any Myanmar maids do look for us. To get updated info on our available maids please join us at Facebook. For more info pls look at our web site at http://www.rqmanpower.sg, our email is [email protected]. Or call us at 31120588 / 31120388. Kelvin

Over 25 killed in Myanmar quake: officials. At least 25 people were killed and dozens of buildings destroyed when a strong earthquake struck Myanmar near the Thai border, officials from both countries said Friday. Tremors were felt as far away as Bangkok, almost 800 kilometres (500 miles) from the epicentre, Hanoi and parts of China during the earthquake on Thursday, which the US Geological Survey (USGS) measured at magnitude 6.8. A Myanmar official warned that there could be "many more casualties" in the town of Tarlay, close to the epicentre, as he confirmed 10 men, a boy and 13 women had been killed when the quake struck. "Five monasteries and 35 buildings collapsed in the town. Those people were killed when the buildings collapsed," said the official, who declined to be named. Twenty people were injured in Tarlay in the district of Tachileik, and the official said the main road into the area was closed after being damaged in the quake. Just across the border from Tachileik, Thai authorities said a 52-year-old woman was killed in Mae Sai district after a wall of her house collapsed. Terrified residents across the region fled their homes, tall buildings swayed and hospitals and schools were evacuated during the tremors. The quake struck 90 kilometres (60 miles) north of Chiang Rai and 235 kilometres (150 miles) north-northeast of Chiang Mai, Thailand's second city and a popular tourist destination. Tall buildings shuddered in Bangkok during the tremor. Its epicentre was close to the borders with Thailand and Laos and was just 10 kilometres (six miles) deep. Thailand's meteorological department on Friday said it had registered six large aftershocks following the initial quake. Chiang Rai governor Somchai Hatayatanti told AFP late Thursday that efforts were made to evacuate people from tall buildings and he had ordered all patients from Mae Sai District Hospital to be taken to Chiang Rai. The shaking was felt throughout China's southwest province of Yunnan, according to state-run China National Radio, but no casualties or structural collapses had been reported as of Friday morning. However, the earthquake reportedly caused cracks in some homes and schools in and around the rugged Xishuangbanna region which borders Myanmar, and fear of aftershocks forced many people in the area to spend the night outdoors. Some residents of the Vietnamese capital Hanoi fled their homes in panic when the quake shook the city. Nguyen Thi Hong Hanh, 36, who lives on the 10th floor of a highrise, said her husband noticed their pet fish shaking in their tank. "We all rushed to the street. All the other people in the apartments also rushed out," she said. Hanoi felt the tremor at about magnitude 5.0, according to Dinh Quoc Van, deputy head of the earthquake monitoring department. The quake comes two weeks after Japan was hit by a monster earthquake, which unleashed a devastating tsunami that left around 27,000 people dead or missing and triggered a crisis at its Fukushima nuclear plant. No tsunami warning was issued after the Myanmar quake as US seismologists said it was too far inland to generate a devastating wave in the Indian Ocean. The USGS initially recorded the quake as magnitude 7.0, but later revised it down to 6.8. ... It seem that not only countries in the ''ring of fire'' are getting earthquake now....Scary man...any chance one day Singapore will get hit too? if so...we will sure die c--k standing with 4 sides sea and so many highrise building now...even HDB flat is 50 floors now.....

Hi Bro & Sis, Anyone got experience to renew passport for Myanmar maid? I heard the agency will only for the work permit renewal, the maid/ owner need to go embassy to do the passport renewal. Need to go 3 am or 4 am to collect the queue no. Need to pay 10% Tax for past 2 years Salaries and Passport cost $300++ Anyone has any experience to advice?

YANGON: Myanmar authorities on Thursday charged opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi with breaching the conditions of her house arrest and her trial will start on May 18, her lawyer said. Aung San Suu Kyi and her two maids faced the charges when they appeared at a court in the notorious Insein Prison, hours after police escorted them from the pro-democracy icon's lakeside home. The charges come a week after the arrest of US national John Yettaw, who was detained by police for swimming across a lake and staying at her off-limits residence for two days before he was caught. "The authorities have charged Aung San Suu Kyi and her two maids under Section 22" of the Law Safeguarding the State from the Dangers of Subversive Elements, under which she is detained, lawyer Hla Myo Myint said. Yettaw also appeared in court and was charged with breaching the security law and with immigration violations, Hla Myo Myint added. He said that the trials of Aung San Suu Kyi and her maids would begin on May 18 at Insein Prison in Yangon, but did not give a date for Yettaw.

Dear brothers and sisters, Mother earth has decided to show her furore against human race over these past 2 weeks. First, Cyclone at Irrawady Bay, and then earthquake at Szechuan. I believed no one will disagree with me, that we, in Singapore, are a really fortunate lot, not having to face these natural disasasters that, and most importantly, our love ones are always by ourside. Reading the news, and viewing the photos is a heart wrenching experience, seeing parents losing their children, children losing their parents, teachers sacrifising themselves while saving their children etc. The victims in these two places faced death everyday, and now, the high possibility of epidemic that will wipe out a substantial portion of the population there. I would strongly appeal to you to donate as much as you could to help relieve the pain the victims has to go through. Our China friends have now started a campaign to wear green ribbon to support the relief effort, as well towards the victims. Maybe we could start similar campaign over here.. wearing green ribbon. Green basically stands for peace, and what we desperately needed now in this world, is peace. Just a reflection/thought over these long long weekend. To the buddhist brothers and sisters out there, have a fruitful and meaningful Vesak Day ahead.

http://sg.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080508/tts-...ll-c1b2fc3.html LABUTTA, Myanmar (AFP) - - An estimated 80,000 people have died in the remote Myanmar district of Labutta since a powerful cyclone struck last weekend, a local military official told AFP on Thursday. Labutta sits in the Irrawaddy delta, which bore the brunt of the storm's fury when it struck overnight Friday. Dozens of the 63 villages surrounding the town of Labutta have been wiped out, said Tin Win, leader of a ward within the town. "So far the estimated death toll in those villages is about 80,000," he told AFP.---------------------------- Myanmar's website. http://www.myanmars.net/myanmar-news/index.htm --------------------------------- Google is helping.... http://www.google.com/myanmarcyclone/ -------------------------------------------- One district reported 80'000 deaths....more to come. Please help in whatever ways possible. Our money lost can be earned back but lives lost is irreversible..... Thanks.

Dear All Kong Meng San Phor Kark See Monastery 88 Recycling in conjuction with Firefly Mission are appealing to members of public in requesting for items stipulated below for victims hit by Cyclone Nargis - Myanmar . Firefly Mission of 7 volunteers will be leaving for Myanmar on 17th May 2008 (Saturday) for relief work. We will be assisting in collecting and packing the following needed items to assist them in their Humanitarian Relief efforts. We need the following latest by 16 May 2008 for the Silk Air flight. 1) Biscuits/Can Food- immediate 3) Rice - continuous 4) medicine - immediate - preferably in commercial packing a) Paracetamol - 50 x 2,000 b) lomotil - 10 x 2000 c) Mefenamic acid - 2,000 d) Dicofenac (50mg) - 25 x 100e) Amocil - 2,000 f) Ampicillin tab - 2,000 g) Ciprobay tabb - 50 x 200 h) Oral dehydration salt - 20 x 100i) Multivit tab - 20 x 2,000 j) Chlorpheniramine tab - 10 x 2,000 k) Surgical mask - as many as possible l) Surgical gloves - as many as possible m) Anti-septic hand wash - 100 bottles n) etc etc etc (useful items) Pls put the following Items to our 88 Recycling Kiosk at Kong Meng San in the bins Labeled 'Humanitarian Relief Myanmar'. With Metta http://www.kmspks.org/community/88kiosk/index.html Om Mani padme hung

show yr support for democracy ... http://www.channelnewsasia.com/myanmar/

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp.../301709/1/.html

see the increase they are been hit.... -------------------------------------------------------------------- Protesting monks hold Yangon officials hostage The security men were freed after abbot stepped in to end stand-off YANGON - SEVERAL hundred monks staged a demonstration in Myanmar on Wednesday in an escalation of the ongoing protests against massive fuel price increases, eyewitnesses said. And yesterday, the monks took about 20 officials of Myanmar's security forces hostage inside their monastery. The hostages were freed after a few hours when a senior abbot intervened to end the tense stand-off. The protesting monks numbered between 300 and 500 people, the eyewitnesses said. The monks also burnt at least four cars belonging to the officials in yesterday's incident, a resident said. 'Bystanders cheered as monks torched the cars one by one, but monks have told laymen that they will take care of the matter themselves,' he said. Police and firemen did not respond immediately to the torching of the vehicles. The officials who were held hostage had gone to the so-called Middle Monastery in the town of Pakokku, 600km north-west of Yangon, to apologise over an incident on Wednesday in which soldiers fired shots over the heads of protesting monks, a witness said. The officials had also gone to the monastery to ask the abbot to stop monks - who are highly revered in Buddhist Myanmar - from taking part in the sporadic marches that have broken out in the past two weeks, the witness added. Witnesses spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of official retaliation. The intervention by the troops was the first time they had been called in during two weeks of rare public dissent. More than a hundred people have been arrested in the crackdown on protesters, who took to the streets after a fuel price hike last month of as much as 500 per cent. Pakokku is a centre for Buddhist learning, with more than 80 monasteries, including at least 15 that are used for teaching. There are an estimated 35,000 monks in the town. Intervening against monks in Pakokku is particularly risky for the ruling junta as the town is only about 130km from the country's second largest city of Mandalay. Historically, monasteries have played a major role in political uprisings, both in 1988 and in revolts against then-Burma's colonial master Britain. Wednesday's march by the monks came in the third week of the wave of public protests in the tightly controlled country. A handful of monks were arrested, but most retreated to their monasteries. Before this, the military had responded by arresting leading dissidents and sending pro-junta gangs onto the streets of Yangon to break up protests. A resident of Mandalay said the atmosphere in the city was very tense. News reports from dissident organisations suggest the generals who first seized power in 1962 have been pressing the heads of Mandalay's monasteries not to become involved. 'They seem to be more nervous. Once the monks in Mandalay start to rise, they will not be able to control it,' a Yangon-based politician said this week.