YANGON: Around 100 Buddhist monks and nationalists in Myanmar staged a protest against Thailand on Friday, denouncing the government for its actions against Wat Phra Dhammakaya.
For the past week, police and soldiers have surrounded the temple in Pathum Thani in an attempt top arrest its former abbot, Phra Dhammajayo, who is wanted on money-laundering charges, but their efforts have been frustrated by devotees.
The demonstrators in Yangon included activists and monks associated with nationalist political groups.
"We suffered because our neighbouring Buddhist people were undermined, so we cannot stay silent," said protest leader Tin Htut Zaw.
The protesters delivered a letter to the embassy calling on Thailand to stop its "insulting" actions against the Buddhist temple, he said.
U Thuseikta, secretary of the Patriotic Monks Union, said the United Nations, Asean and human rights groups should help protect Thai Buddhists from their government.
Many of the same demonstrators, including U Thuseikta, staged a small protest against a Malaysian ship delivering aid for Myanmar's Rohingya Muslim minority on Feb 9.
Buddhist nationalists in Myanmar reject the label Rohingya, referring instead to the more than 1 million people living in Rakhine state as "Bengalis", to suggest they are interlopers from Bangladesh.
U Wirathu, a prominent member of a nationwide nationalist network known as Ma Ba Tha, also led a demonstration on Thursday in Mandalay over the Dhammakaya siege.
