A sangha-led campaign of protest over the state of the Burmese economy and the treatment of civilian and monk demonstrators at the hands of junta-backed security forces has entered its second day, the single biggest day of demonstrations the 2007 protests have witnessed, with confirmed demonstrations occurring in Rangoon, Chauk, Kyaukpadaung, Aunglan, Pakokku, Pegu and Sittwe.

An organization referring to itself as The Alliance of All Burmese Monks had issued statements that as of yesterday monks were to desist in accepting alms from persons associated with the government. And today the group called on monks throughout the country to march in protest of government economic policies and a refusal to apologize for the heavy handed treatment of monk protestors in Pakokku on September 5th.

In Rangoon, a procession of some 400 monks descended on Shwedagon Pagoda, drawing a crowd of onlookers numbering over one thousand and instilling fear into authorities, prompting the closure of all entrances to the Pagoda. Also in Rangoon, a gathering of an estimated 1,500 persons, including 900 monks, was said to be marching to Theinbyu Street.

The site of the brutal response to demonstrating monks in the first week of the month, Pakokku, was again the scene for monk protests on Tuesday. Some 800 monks took to the streets after reciting scripture on the importance of loving kindness. A reported 2,000 civilians looked on as the monks made there way through the streets.

A significant protest also occurred in Pegu, located 50 miles northeast of Rangoon, where an estimated 700 monks marched peacefully this afternoon, supported along their route by thousands of citizens.

In Kyaukpadaung and Aunglan, approximately 100 monks led peaceful protest marches in the early morning hours. During the course of their protests the monks were reported to recite Sutras, scriptures of the Buddha’s teachings. Kyaukpadaung is in Mandalay Division, while Aunglan is in Magwe Division.

“People are surprised to see this sort of thing and they are excited,” commented one observer of the protest scenes in Kyaukpadaung.

Also in Magwe Division, in the town of Chauk, 200 monks led a procession through the streets of the city. There was a solitary report of violence resulting from the monk-led campaigns, though reports prevailed of security personnel and vehicles in the vicinities of protests and following the monks on the course of their marches.

“There was no harassment today, but a suspicious Dyna light truck was seen…along with ward PDC members. They stayed on the opposite side of the road from our march. When we walked on the left side, they took to the right side with a lot of men and 5 motorcycles,” said a monk who participated in the demonstration in Aunglan.

While in Pakokku a monk told Mizzima, “There were a lot of security personnel along these roads. We saw the familiar faces that were around our monasteries over the last few days. They can be easily distinguished from the others. They hang the sling bags on their shoulders. Yes, they are Swan Arrshin and USDA members.”

The incidence of violence occurred in Sittwe, where a crowd of 2,000 monks and civilians staged a protest. One monk is said to have been injured when hit by a member of the security forces, to which members of the sangha responded by hurling stones.

The strength of the protest forced local administrative officers to seek shelter in their offices.

“The police initially tried to block the protesting monks but later they had to give in. Then, when monks went ahead with their marching, township administrative officials and police ran into their offices,” a local resident told Mizzima.

“We want reduction of commodities prices. We want a roll-back of the fuel price hike. Release the arrested monks.” were said, by eyewitnesses in Sittwe, to be demands written on placards carried by the monks during the demonstration.

A report from Rangoon did state that the junta is actively recruiting additional civilian security personnel from the ranks of the Union Solidarity and Development Association, Swan Arrshin and local population, at a rate of 2,000 kyat per diem, and positioning them at key points throughout the city. Army troops are also reported to be on standby to assist in the handling of any demonstration in the former capital if the government’s strategy of utilizing junta-backed civilian security forces is deemed to have failed.

“In the inner security ring, there are only Swan Arrshin, USDA, police and MI agents. The soldiers will join and intervene if they are needed by the inner ring,” one Rangoon observer told Mizzima.

The boycott of alms is characterized by the overturning of the alms bowl carried by each monk on their procession through the streets. It is a highly significant act of protest and defiance in Burma, where nearly 90 percent of the population is Buddhist. Refusal to accept alms is of symbolic importance as it severs the connection and symbiotic relationship expected between the sangha and laity. Burmese generals are often pictured and publicized donating large sums of money and gifts to monasteries and pagodas throughout the country in an attempt to embellish their credentials as legitimate leaders, accepted by the religious order.

The protest strategy of “Overturning the Bowl” has been staged by Burmese monks on multiple occasions in the past, including during protests against the regime in both 1988 and 2003.

Meanwhile, in a show of solidarity with protestors inside Burma, activists staged demonstrations in front of Chinese diplomatic missions in twenty countries.

Today marks the nineteenth anniversary of the military coup that brought the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) to power, as the military regime refashioned itself at the time.

The international demonstrations are aimed at focusing attention on China’s cozy relationship with the Burmese generals. China is considered one of, if not the, chief supporter of the regime; including economically, politically and militarily.