SOUTH KOREA: RIVAL MONKS IN DEMONSTRATION CHAOS скачать в хорошем качестве

SOUTH KOREA: RIVAL MONKS IN DEMONSTRATION CHAOS

(30 Nov 1998) Korean/Nat At least seven monks have been were injured in clashes between rival groups at South Korea's largest Buddhist order. They monks were fighting to take control of Chogye Temple in central Seoul - it was the third violent clash there this month. Monday's violence erupted when dissident monks drove out mainstream monks from the temple and took control of its administrative office. The day started peacefully with a rally in the centre of Seoul - the South Korean capital. An estimated two-thousand Buddhist monks had gathered in the capital from temples around the country. There were a series of impassioned speeches before the crowd turned hostile. SOUNDBITE: (Korean) We have gathered for this nationwide Buddhist rally in order to follow the teachings of Buddha and to repent and to apologise to the followers. We must repent and we prevent Buddhism from further crisis. SUPER CAPTION: Gi Sun, Buddhist monk Within minutes, the scheduled rally had turned into a violent confrontation. Rival monks exchanged punches and kicks. And rocks and stones were thrown from the building on to those below. At least seven were seriously injured. Approximately five-thousand riot police ringed the building following the violence. The monks were attempting to retake control of Chogye Temple - the headquarters of the largest Buddhist order in South Korea. Rival monks inside the building sprayed demonstrators with water and flour. Those inside had seized control of the temple last week to force Song Wol-ju, who is the current leader of the Chogye Order of Korean Buddhism, to renounce his re-election. The post of Chong General Secretariat is a powerful one; he is in charge of naming chief monks in the countries 1,700 temples. It is not the first time that such clashes have occurred. Earlier this month similar scenes were seen on the eve of the leadership election, as both sides accused the other of corruption. The latest scuffles have effectively blocked the scheduled leadership contest. But dissident monks have vowed to continue their protest until Song resigns as leader of the sect. The sect restricts office-holders to two terms which Song has technically served. However, the renegade leader says he has not completed two terms because he spent time abroad following disagreements with South Korea's former government. Authorities and worshippers alike hope the warring monks will resolve their conflict, but with passions running high, both concede that is unlikely in the near future. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter:   / ap_archive   Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​ Instagram:   / apnews   You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...