When dawn arrives in normal times, 80-year-old Buddhist monk Maha Bodhi Myaing Sayadaw emerges from his meditation on the plains of northern Myanmar to silently receive food offerings from a handful of followers.

Now each morning, crowds of pilgrims line his path, hoping for a glimpse of the monk who has become an unwitting embodiment of hope and solace for thousands in the coup-wracked country.

Myanmar has endured eight months of crisis since the military seized power in February, upending a short-lived experiment with democratic rule.

For crowds of the faithful, Sayadaw's presence provides an antidote to the "three catastrophes": the military's ousting of the government, the ravages of the pandemic and an economy ruined by nearly nine months of unrest.

"I came here to worship Sayadaw because... he likes to offer the people peace and stability," said Khaing Thiri Tun, 40, a housewife who drove five hours from Mandalay to his small monastery in the Sagaing region.

What started as a trickle of visitors when the monk was first spotted at the start of the rainy season has become a massive crowd, swollen by social media posts.

Some claim his reemergence has brought calm to the surrounding area even as fighting escalates elsewhere in Sagaing between the military and anti-coup resisters.

"Our region is stable when Sayadaw receives the pilgrims," Kaythi, 35, told AFP.

For her and other Sagaing locals, the influx has brought material as well as spiritual benefits.

Previously a farmer, Kaythi is one of many to have started working as a motorcycle taxi driver, ferrying pilgrims up the single-lane dirt road to the Nyeyadham monastery.

Company manager Moe Zaw hoped a sight of Sayadaw would cure the back pain he has suffered since undergoing surgery, but was worried about his safety on the 700-kilometre (430-mile) journey from commercial hub Yangon.

But the route was peaceful and now his pain is gone, he said.

"I believe there is no danger to us because of Sayadaw's power and benevolence," he added.

- 'We will shoot' -

In Myanmar, monks are seen as a supreme moral authority. They often play a role in organising communities and at times have even mobilised opposition to the military regimes that have ruled the country for the better part of 60 years.

Huge demonstrations sparked by fuel price hikes in 2007 were led by monks, and the clergy also mobilised relief efforts after 2008's devastating Cyclone Nargis and junta inaction.

But the country's Buddhist clergy has been split on the latest coup.

While monks have joined street protests opposing the power grab, some prominent religious leaders have also defended the new junta.

"Sayadaw hasn't said anything about the political situation," said Khin Maung Win, one of his close followers who supervises the morning audiences.

"He's serving his religious duty."

More than 1,100 civilians have been killed and almost 9,000 arrested as the military cracks down on resistance to its rule, according to a local monitoring group.

Sagaing has seen some of the bloodiest fighting between junta troops and "people's defence forces", with villagers accusing security forces of torching homes and carrying out massacres.

In the towns near the monk's monastery, shops are closed and streets quiet.

"Do not surround us! ... We will shoot," banners outside local police stations warn any would-be protesters.

But on the hushed grounds of the Nyeyadham monastery, the pilgrims rest, share meals and say their worries feel far away.

"It's a rare opportunity," said Moe Moe Lwin, another visitor from Mandalay.

"Sayadaw must have his reason for receiving pilgrims... He's appeared in front of people so they can feel peaceful and free from danger."

But all the adoration isn't good for the monk's concentration, said close follower Khin Maung Win.

"The main difficulty we are facing is noise," he told AFP.

"Sayadaw likes silence. It's really difficult for us to keep everyone quiet."

Myanmar junta says UN rights report on country 'incitement to violence'
Yangon (AFP) Oct 24, 2021 - Myanmar's junta on Sunday labelled the United Nation's latest rights report on the conflict-wracked nation an "incitement to violence" and accused the body of interfering in its internal affairs.

The Southeast Asian nation has been in chaos since a February coup, with more than 1,100 killed in a crackdown on dissent, according to a local monitoring group.

On Friday, the UN said it feared an even greater human rights catastrophe amid reports that tens of thousands of troops and heavy weapons were being moved into restive regions in the north and northwest.

The tactics were "ominously reminiscent" of those deployed before a bloody crackdown on the Rohingya minority in 2016-2017, Special Rapporteur on Myanmar Tom Andrews warned the UN General Assembly.

The junta slammed the report on Sunday and accused the UN of using human rights "as a political tool to intervene in the internal affairs of Myanmar".

The report would "only lead to further division among (the) nation and incitement to internal violence", the junta-appointed Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Almost nine months after seizing power, the military has been unable to stamp out opposition to its rule, with local "people's defence forces" clashing regularly with troops.

More than 70 military personnel and 93 police personnel have been killed since February, the junta said in its latest figures on Sunday -- although analysts say the military regularly downplays its battlefield losses.

The generals are also under increasing international pressure to engage with their opponents.

Last week, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) decided to exclude junta chief Min Aung Hlaing from an upcoming summit of the 10-country bloc over doubts about his commitment to defusing the bloody crisis.

It called instead for a "non-political representative" to attend the October 26-28 summit, which the junta said will be "difficult to comply" with.

Britain also said last week it would not be inviting the junta to an upcoming G7-ASEAN foreign ministers meeting.

The coup snuffed out the country's short-lived experiment with democracy, with civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi now facing a raft of charges in a junta court that could see her jailed for decades.

Her chief lawyer said earlier this month he had been banned by the military from speaking to journalists, diplomats or international organisations.

The other lawyers on Suu Kyi's legal team also face a similar ban -- effectively muzzling the key sources of information on court proceedings, from which journalists are barred.

Nobel laureate Suu Kyi, who has spent much of her life resisting Myanmar's generals, is scheduled to testify in court for the first time on Tuesday.

Myanmar activist arrested in junta raid: wife
Bangkok (AFP) Oct 24, 2021 - An activist who rose to prominence during Myanmar's 1988 student uprising has been arrested in an overnight raid, his wife said Sunday, in the latest blow to the anti-junta movement as the military cracks down on dissent.

Myanmar has been in turmoil since the generals ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi in a February coup, triggering nationwide protests that have seen more than 1,100 people killed by security forces, according to a local monitoring group.

Junta opponents -- including allies of Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy party and activists -- have gone into hiding across the country, while some villagers have taken up arms, forming local militias to defend themselves.

On Saturday evening, 52-year-old Kyaw Min Yu, better known as Ko Jimmy, was arrested when soldiers raided a housing complex in the North Dagon township of Yangon.

"He was staying in a safe house together with two other activists who escaped from the back door," his wife Nilar Thein told AFP, adding that police had not informed her of his whereabouts.

Nilar Thein and Ko Jimmy are part of the so-called 88 Generation movement that challenged Myanmar's previous military government.

They also played a major role in anti-government protests in 2007 -- nicknamed the "Saffron Revolution" for the participation of orange-robed monks.

The couple have been in and out of prison for their activism.

Ko Jimmy's last stint behind bars was from 2007 to 2012. He was released as the generals loosened their grip to start opening up Myanmar in preparation for 2015 elections.

After the February 1 putsch this year, the junta issued an arrest warrant for him, alleging he had incited unrest with his social media posts.

Another 88 Generation member, Ko Ko Gyi, confirmed Ko Jimmy's arrest, expressing worry for him and his family.

- Causing 'further division' -

While the couple are intimately aware of the dangers of activism in Myanmar, Nilar Thein said the situation is "riskier" under the current regime, which has dubbed itself the State Administration Council.

"I am afraid that I won't see him alive" again, she said, adding that she was afraid to go to the police for fear of her own arrest.

"I urge the international community to keep their eyes (on the situation) to save the lives of Myanmar people."

Groups including the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, which tracks arrests under the regime, have alleged that torture has taken place during the interrogation of dissidents.

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on Myanmar Tom Andrews on Friday raised alarm about troops amassing in the country's north, warning the international community to be prepared for "more mass atrocity crimes".

But the junta rejected Andrews' report, accusing the UN of causing "further division among (the) nation and incitement to internal violence", the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement late Sunday.

The junta has repeatedly justified its power seizure by alleging widespread fraud in last year's elections, which Suu Kyi's party won in a landslide.

Related Links
Democracy in the 21st century at TerraDaily.com

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Myanmar junta re-arrests more than 100 released in amnesty
Bangkok (AFP) Oct 22, 2021
Myanmar's junta has re-arrested more than 100 anti-coup protesters freed in a recent amnesty, according to a local monitoring group that tracks detentions and killings in the country. The Southeast Asian nation has been in chaos since the February coup, with more than 1,100 killed in a crackdown on dissent and over 8,000 arrested, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP). On Monday, the military announced it would free more than 5,000 people over the three-day Budd ... read more