According to the regime, they are just a pawn in this game and the monk's basically forced their hand...?  From an AP article: "The official New Light of Myanmar newspaper, a government mouthpiece, said that if the monks had remained in their monasteries, "the government would not have used force to prevent protests.""

 

Hmm..let's see...as long as the monk's stay in their monasteries and serve the military and NOT Lord Buddha, everything will be ok.  It almost sounds like the regime would rather just use the monks to passify the people so they may remain in power - allowing individuals like Than Shwe to have $50 million weddings while people are starving in the streets and others are being tortured simply for their desire to live a free life.

 

When are the every day soldiers going to wake up, realize that the regime is spitting in the face of Buddha, and do something about it?  When these soldiers are reincarnated do they honestly think they will be 'moving up' in the chain of life?  Unless they start making amends and start doing the right thing by helping the people who are suffering I suspect they'll all be living as pigs, dogs or worms in their next life.  You can't escape Karma.