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Buddhist Monk Faces Eviction From Burma Monastery


Buddhist monks look at a notice from the state committee of Sangha Maha Nayaka at the Shwenyawar monastery in Rangoon, December 15, 2011. The state committee of Sangha Maha Nayaka announced the removal of Pyi Nyar Thiha from the monastery after he preache
Buddhist monks look at a notice from the state committee of Sangha Maha Nayaka at the Shwenyawar monastery in Rangoon, December 15, 2011. The state committee of Sangha Maha Nayaka announced the removal of Pyi Nyar Thiha from the monastery after he preache

A Buddhist monk in Burma has been ordered out of his monastery after giving a speech at an office of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi's party.

Ashin Pyinyar Thiha, who recently met U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her historic visit to Burma, says he received a letter from a government-backed council of Buddhist elders.

The State Sangha committee is asking him to leave Sadhu Buddhist Monastery in Rangoon, saying the speech he gave in September at a branch of Aung San Suu Kyi's National League of Democracy in Mandalay, in central Burma, was inappropriate.

Ashin Pyinyar Thiha told the French news agency he will appeal the decision.

In recent months the Sadhu monastery has held a series of political events.

Burma's new government took over in March and has shown tentative steps toward democratic reform.

Last month, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made a landmark visit to the Southeast Asian country to assess the progress of its reforms.

Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

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