Myanmar monks free all hostages
AFP / August 06, 2007

Angry Buddhist monks in central Myanmar have released all of the 20 hostages they seized on Thursday, ending a tense confrontation with the nation's military government, residents said.

A first group of five hostages were released after being held for about five hours inside a teaching temple in the town of Pakokku, about 500 kilometres (310 miles) north of the country's commercial capital Yangon, residents said.

The other 15 people, mainly local and security officials, were released about 45 minutes later, residents said.

The monks had set four of the officials' cars on fire. Young monks flipped over their two remaining cars and forced the officials to leave on foot through a back door, residents said.

"It's good the monks did this. The monks are showing the reality of what's happening here to the world," one resident told AFP by telephone.

Troops on Wednesday fired warning shots into the air to break up a crowd of about 300 monks who were protesting over a massive hike in fuel prices.

At least three monks were injured when soldiers beat them with bamboo sticks, according to residents.

Local and security officials had come to the monastery to apologise for the violence, but the monks instead took them hostage, residents said.

The showdown at the monastery is the most serious confrontation with the military government since a rare series of anti-junta protests broke out more than two weeks ago.