Forcing Aung San Suu Kyi to walk in rain an ‘insult to Buddhism’

Forcing Aung San Suu Kyi to walk in rain an ‘insult to Buddhism’

From our correspondent in Warsaw

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s visit to central Europe was plunged into controversy yesterday after Aung San Suu Kyi was forced to walk in the rain.

The incident happened as Aung San Suu Kyi arrived for a visit to the Polish Parliament. Parliamentary officials apologised for the incident, saying that it was due to blocked roads because of a protest by trade unionists.

However, the incident has caused a storm of protest in Burma and among the exile Burmese community.

969 leader The Ven U Htoo Kha Zee posted on his Facebook Page: ‘Forcing Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to walk in the rain is clearly an insult to Buddhism and to the nation. It is learnt that the Polish Parliament recently banned halal slaughtering of animals and this may be how the Muslims try to get their revenge. There should be an investigation to see if any Polish MP is secretly Muslim and arranged this. It is also widely known that in Soviet time chemicals were dropped on clouds to make it rain sooner and stop it raining on military parades in Red Square. We must be told if the Polish government kept some of the chemicals and used them to make it deliberately rain on The Mother.”

The Ven U Htoo Kha Zee, who played a leading role in the Saffron Revolution in 2007, also questioned why protestors had not been moved or arrested to make way for Aung San Suu Kyi.

According to investigations by Burma Tha Din, the average rainfall in Poland in September is 50mm.

Media in Burma have been quick to take up the story of Aung San Suu Kyi being forced to walk in rain, with front page headlines such as ‘Aung San Suu Kyi Walks In Rain!, and ‘Aung San Suu Kyi Braves The Rain!’

Burma Tha Din has not been able to establish if any drops of rain actually fell on Aung San Suu Kyi, or if the umbrella completely protected her. A Burma Tha Din investigation has found that Aung San Suu Kyi has previously walked in sunshine, but we have been unable to establish if she has also walked in snow. A family friend in Oxford, England, who knew Aung San Suu Kyi when she lived there, refused to comment when Burma Tha Din called, but did reveal to Burma Tha Din that it does often snow in the winter.

Aung San Suu Kyi could not be reached for comment about her thoughts on walking in the rain, or the rights that Polish trade unionists were protesting for. However, she was reported to have commented on the protesters clothing, saying “Ooh, look at all the pretty colours, beautiful.”