Funeral for monk shot by soldiers highlights Myanmar army’s delicate relationship to Buddhist clergy

Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — Hundreds of people have attended the funeral of a senior monk who was fatally shot by soldiers in an incident that could undermine the cozy relationship Myanmar’s military government has tried to maintain with the country’s Buddhist clergy. The killing of the 78-year-old monk drew outrage, especially because the military initially lied and blamed it on resistance fighters opposed to army rule. The monk was traveling in a car when it was fired upon by soldiers on a truck. State television announced that he died in an explosion of a landmine planted by pro-democracy resistance forces, but another monk who was in the car explained that soldiers had shot at them.