Buddhist monks turn streetfighter

Metro

Two opposing groups of Buddhist monks engaged in a street fist fight on Friday, during a protest in Cambodia to demand religious freedom for their fellow monks living in southern Vietnam.

Lim Yuth, a 23-year-old monk, suffered a cut on his left eyebrow during the brawl, but it was not immediately clear what caused the injury.

Lim Yuth was among some 50 monks who marched through Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh, to voice their grievances over alleged mistreatment by Hanoi authorities against Cambodian Buddhist monks in southern Vietnam.

As the march took place on Friday morning, a different group of six monks confronted the protestors. The groups clashed in an outbreak of fisticuffs, which also involved some of the protesters throwing water bottles at the second group of monks, according to witnesses.

It was not immediately apparent what the motivation of the other monks for the confrontation was, or if they were acting on someone else's orders.

Hanoi permits only a handful of state-sponsored religious organisations to operate in Vietnam, which has led to clashes with some religious groups, including Buddhists.