Myanmar Soldiers Raid Monasteries in Yangon, Including One Caring for People Living With HIV/AIDS

Hundreds of Myanmar soldiers, riot police and members of the Union Solidarity and Development Association on Wednesday raided several monasteries in Yangon, including one caring for people living with HIV/AIDS, Southeast Asia's Irrawaddy reports. According to the Irrawaddy, an abbot, four senior monks and four other people from the Maggin monastery, which houses HIV-positive people, were arrested. Soldiers initially "mishandled" the HIV/AIDS patients at Maggin but released the patients once documents confirmed they were receiving treatment, the Irrawaddy reports (Shah, Irrawaddy, 9/27).

At least 10 Buddhist monasteries were raided this week, and hundreds of monks were arrested for allegedly organizing pro-democracy demonstrations against the military government, Reuters reports (Wong-Anan, Reuters, 9/27).