An Arakanese student, who spoke with The Irrawaddy on Tuesday on condition of anonymity for fears of reprisals, said uniformed Burmese soldiers and riot police in trucks have been deployed in public areas, monasteries and local landmarks in Sittwe.
“The authorities deployed security forces in several areas, because they are worried that people will hold ceremonies,” he said. “Also, teachers have been told to closely monitor their students.”
He said that security forces had been deployed around Payagyi Temple and U Ottama Hall, two popular gathering points where local authorities suspect ceremonies might be held.
The authorities also are tracking suspected persons, he added.
Despite beefed-up security, sources said about 1,000 t-shirts bearing the image of Ashin Ottama have been distributed among Arakanese people.
Ashin Ottama was born in Arakan State, western Burma. As a child, he was selected to go to England to study, but his mother refused to let him go, insisting he become a monk.
Later, he studied in Calcutta for three years and became a lecturer in Pali at the Bengal National College. He learned to speak several languages. Apart from India, he traveled to Japan, China, Cambodia, Korea, Egypt, France and several other European and Asian countries.
Ashin Ottama became renowned for his opposition to British colonial rule. In 1918, he organized the first anti-colonial activities through the General Council of Buddhist Associations, also employing the tactic of boycott campaigns.
He spoke out and wrote commentaries critical of the British in the nationalist newspaper, Suriya (“The Sun”). One of his most famous articles was titled “Craddock Go Home,” which appeared in Suriya in 1921 as an open letter to the then British governor, Sir Reginald Henry Craddock.
Ashin Ottama was arrested and imprisoned for 18 months, at that time the first Burmese person to be imprisoned by the British colonial authorities for making a political speech.
Between 1921 and 1927, the outspoken monk spent most of his time behind bars.
He died on September 9, 1939.
Despite his opposition to British rule, the Burmese military authorities have long regarded his activities as anti-authoritarian and consequently a danger to the government.
One notable sign of the junta’s fear of heroes such as Ashin Ottama was after the military coup in 1988 when the regime ordered the name of U Ottama Park, near Shwe Dagon Pagoda, changed back to its pre-war name, Kandawmin Park.
On Tuesday, more than 200 Burmese migrant workers—mostly ethnic Arakanese—held a ceremony in Phuket, southern Thailand, to mark the anniversary of Ashin Ottama’s death.
During the ceremony, Khaing Ata, an Arakanese migrant worker, said, “Ashin Ottama is not only a hero to Arakanese people, but to all Burmese. We are very sad that the Burmese regime has attempted to black him out from our nation’s history.”
http://www2.irrawaddy.org/article.php?art_id=14216
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