Buddhist Unrest

[Alanston]

In @People's Holy Tai Empire many Buddhists feel unjustly repressed by the Christian state, regardless of the actual status of their religion within the Empire. To this extent, several have begun protesting the affairs of the nation, expressing discontent in the Christian state religion of the Empire. This unrest amongst Buddhists is primarily focused in the southern area, especially around Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh, and Krong Siem Reap. For now, it is just regular protests on the streets, but has the potential to escalate depending on how it is handled.

[Tokugawa Empire]

Primer Songwut Praves under the guidance of Pope Boon-nam Chaiprasit has called for a meeting with Buddhist leadership in an attempt to sort things out in a peaceful matter. Primer Praves stressed "We are more in common than one may believe, and must remember that in a world full of hate against other beliefs." He said on national television.
@Axum

[Alanston]

The Buddhist protesters agree to the meeting and inform Primer Songwut Praves that Vietnamese monk Hòa thượng Thích Hoằng Thâm and Cambodian monk Samdech Preah Maha Ghosananda will meet with him. Weary of trusting both communists and Christians, and especially weary of the two combined, the two monks request that the meeting be held at the Silver Pagoda in Phnom Penh. Several lesser monks will be in attendance as well, who will be observing the meeting.

However, the protesters continue their protests, with some being outraged at the suggestion that Buddhism is anything like Catholicism. Several Buddhist monks have undertaken hunger strikes out of further protest. However the protests continue to remain peaceful.

[Tokugawa Empire]

Police and Guardsmen are instructed to assist Buddhist protestors and make sure that they are safe.

Meanwhile Premier Songwut would agree to the meeting at the Silver Pagota. He prepares himself to do what is necessary to try and keep this peace all while the Axum threat looms over the horizon.
@Axum

[Alanston]

On the day of the meeting the two Buddhist monks and their attendants would make a big show of their arrival at the pagoda, intent on the world knowing they are there. The group would arrive in a solemn procession, with the two monks leading the way, each carrying Buddhist flags as they proceed. Upon entering the pagoda, they would go to a room set aside for the meeting. There, they would take seats and wait for the Premier.

[skip to meeting]

Meanwhile, the monks have arranged for all protesters to remain silent for the entire duration of the meetings. To this extent, all of the protesters throughout the Tai Empire gather around key Buddhist landmarks and proceed to sit in silence on the ground. The sight would likely be unnerving to many, with some locations having hundreds, or even thousands, of Buddhist monks in orange sitting in silence around Buddhist landmarks. In a couple areas, especially in Ho Chi Minh City and Krong Siem Reap, Buddhist protesters would take up entire streets as they sit in protest. At one street in Ho Chi Minh there are many regular civilians in attendance as well, leading to scenes with children and families sitting beside the monks, these protests are noticeably slightly less quiet, but still very disciplined compared to the protests of previous days. Some of the protesters would also have banners outlining their cause.

► Show Spoiler

[Tokugawa Empire]

Guardsmen and police continue to provide overwatch on the protests while the meeting takes place.

Premier Songwut would shake hands with the two monks before taking a seat.
"Gentlemen, it is an honor to be here today to hopefully put at ease your mind and pave the way for the betterment of your followers and our nation. We want nothing more than enlightenment on both sides." He said with a positive and reassuring tone.
@Axum

[Alanston]

Thích Hoằng Thâm and Maha Ghosananda both wai instead of shaking hands, before taking their seats.

Thích Hoằng Thâm speaks first, in a calm and measured voice. "My friend, you run a devout Catholic nation. One with millions of Christians and a much smaller number of Buddhists and other minority religions. Your Christians are constantly trying to convert us, to trick us into becoming Christians. There are countless times where this nation has favoured Christians over Buddhists. Not to mention the times when Christian churches have been given priority over our temples, or when Christians destroyed and looted our holy sites. We Buddhists were here long before the Christians came with their foreign God and foreign traditions. Look into your own past, your own ancestors were Buddhist, not Christian. Why would you abandon your familial traditions so? But I digress. Our demands are simple. We want religious freedom for all Buddhists to worship our traditional faith the way we want. We want to be left alone by Christians, this means no more proselytizing. We want equal funding to come to our religious groups - whatever you give to Christian groups, we want an equal amount given to Buddhist groups." He pauses.

Maha Ghosananda takes over at this point. "We want your government to recognize all Buddhist sites as holy and issue protection orders to them, forbidding their destruction or removal by Christian groups. We want Buddhism to be recognized as a national faith. We want the first choice in choosing locations for constructing new temples and monasteries, rather than the choice going to Christians. We want our sacred texts to be protected. We want the right to worship in our own languages to be a protected right." He shifts his gaze to stare straight at Premier Songwut, "On behalf of all Buddhist people, I tell you this: Your communist government is of the evil. It causes nothing but the destruction of families and the corruption of good morals and strong familial bonds. End this charade now before it is too late. Allow free elections and end the overt Christian cloud that blocks out the sun of true wisdom and enlightenment from our people."

[Tokugawa Empire]

Premier Songwut shifts his gaze between the two gentlemen while keeping a calm demeanor.
"I will disregard the disrespectful tone and statements which were just made about the nation that protects you and allows you to keep your freedom of religion. We could put pressureon your people but we don't because that isn't what we believe. We are unified in helping better our communities and the world as a whole. So with that I offer you this, Buddhists are required to serve in the military in a fitting role that would not be in conflict with their beliefs. In return that the Buddhist community along with the other minor religions would be put together and given an equal opportunity to funding and tax exemptions. Would that be fitting to you?" He asked with a calm tone.
@Axum

[Alanston]

Ghosananda frowns, "Did you not hear our terms? There is much more we want than just equal funding and tax exemptions. Further, we are not like the other minority religions in the nation, with Buddhism being the true historic religion of the people and this land. The historic ruins of our temples lie all throughout this land." He pauses, as if remembering something. "Which reminds me, we want the rights to those historic ruins, both the right to the temples themselves, as well as the rights and funds to restore the temples into functional temples once again. Your offer does nothing to recognize the sanctity of Buddhism, nor does it grant us protection for our sacred texts, the protection of our people against proselytizing, the right to worship in our own languages, or full religious freedom. Not to mention the protection of our holy sites from destruction by you Christians. If you want to find a solution here today you are going to have to do better than that."

Hoằng Thâm watches with a stern frown on his face, his expression showing displeasure, but not saying anything.

[Tokugawa Empire]

Premier Songwut smiles, "My friends we are all Tai regardless of religion, sexuality, or political view. Thats what unites us and to want Buddhist ideals to subjugate the rest would not end well. But we can absolutely make holy sites, artifacts,
and languages. We sufferred too long under the rule of those who didn't care. Thus we will rebuild and protect those sites." He looked between the two men across from him.
@Axum

[Alanston]

Ghosananda shakes his head sadly. "We are not Tai. I am Khmer, Hoằng Thâm is Vietnamese. You claim that we are Tai regardless of religion, but I point to the very nature of this nation to prove otherwise. Your nation propagates Christian values and ideals, and we are very much not Christian." He pauses and whispers quietly with Hoằng Thâm in the Khmer language, before turning back to Premier Songwut. "These offers do nothing to address the bigger issues at play here. Until your government recognizes the harm your Christian religion is doing to us, not to mention our way of life and culture, we will not sign any agreements with you." The two of them stand. "Our meeting with you is done today. Goodbye." With that, the two men turn and walk out of the temple, refusing to even wai to Premier Songwut. The other Buddhists in attendance leave as well.

Shortly afterwards, Ghosananda makes a brief speech elsewhere in Phnom Penh. "Earlier today my fellow monk Hoằng Thâm and I met with Premier Songwut to discuss our concerns. Although he respectfully listened to our complaints, he refused to address the deeper issues plaguing our people. Furthermore, he seemed to be in denial of the actions of the Christians against the Buddhists. Until his government pledges actual action to preserve and protect the rights of all Buddhists, and other minority religious groups, including our holy sites and languages, from the Christians, we will continue our protests."

Following his speech, the Buddhists, who had been sitting quietly, resume their protests throughout the south east of the nation [IRL Cambodia and southern Vietnam]. There would likely also be smaller scale protests in other regions as well, particularly in mountainous regions where old faiths and traditions live on.

[Tokugawa Empire]

Premier Songwut while disappointed at the result of the meeting would not be forced into a corner by such remarks.
He would arrange a televised address on the issue.
"Earlier today i had a meeting with Thích Hoằng Thâm and Maha Ghosananda on the current treatment of Buddhists and other religious groups within the nation. We offered protection to their institutions and holy artifacts, rebuilding of religious holy sites, and the protection of their rights in return we only asked for what we ask of all of our citizens... but that wasn't enough because they existed first. I believe what we offered was very gracious, gracious enough that all non-Christian institutions will receive them. But they say they are not Tai, that they are better. I treied to be kind but this slander will not be tolerated. So I expect an apology the next time we meet." He said in an address to the nation. One where he tried to stay calm on the face of being painted as evil.
@Axum

[Alanston]

Leaflets are printed, begrudgingly, in Tai, as well as Khmer and Vietnamese, and attempts are made to spread them throughout the regions with Buddhist majorities, as well as other neighbouring regions, especially into more Tai majority regions. They would have more success in the Buddhist majority regions, but it is unknown how much success they would have in Christian majority regions. These leaflets contest the statements of Premier Songwut, arguing that he wanted Buddhists to serve in his military, that he refused to recognize the harm that Christianity does to the Buddhists, that he refused to recognize the sanctity of the Buddhist holy sites, and other such facts. The leaflets do confirm that, in fact, they are not Tai, but rather Khmer or Vietnamese. They also point out that, yes, Buddhists were there first, and that therefore they deserve certain rights and privileges, especially regarding protections against the Christians. The leaflets finish by stating that they will not apologize for stating the truth.

Elsewhere, the protests continue. They are still peaceful, but in the southern city of Rạch Giá, a group of Buddhists cause an explosion in a Catholic church during a Sunday Mass. Samdech Preah Maha Ghosananda denounces the action publicly shortly after he learns of it [ie after it makes the news, and likely after Premier Songwut has had a chance to respond].

[Tokugawa Empire]

As soon as Premier Songwut gave the orders to bring Thích Hoằng Thâm and Maha Ghosananda to his office in Ayutthaya, two Mi-24Ds and three Mi-8Ts carrying seventy Inquisitors (Tai Spetznaz equivalent) kited for urban operations. They would be sent to the location of the two high value targets. The two Mi-24s would provide overwatch as two of the three Mi-8Ts unloaded their troops around the objective. Captain Narin Thanadon and four of his men would take a peaceful approach while snipers and a light machine gunner with long range sights watched them. They would speak to have Thích Hoằng Thâm and Maha Ghosananda come with them peacefully.

[Alanston]

In the middle of publicly denouncing the bombing, Maha Ghosananda would see Captain Narin Thanadon and his men approaching. Frowning, he pauses his speech, and turns to them. The video cameras and microphones would follow. Addressing Captain Thanadon, Maha Ghosananda states, "We had nothing to do with the bombings. Believe me, they were not organized by us, and we strongly oppose them." When the Captain informs him that he is to follow the soldiers, he replies, "Why do you want us to come with you? We can talk here."

Elsewhere, in Ho Chi MInh City, Thích Hoằng Thâm would be protesting with other Vietnamese Buddhist monks, mostly blocking roads and the like, unaware of the bombing as of yet. When the soldiers approach, the monks would pretend to ignore them, continuing their protests. When they demand that Thích Hoằng Thâm come with them, he continues to ignore them, but when they show arms, he complies and stands to join them, willfully following them. The other monks continue their protests. A Buddhist monk named Thích Quảng Đức watches his mentor be taken away, observing the hostility of the Tai soldiers.