A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Burma: Ultra right-wing monk calls for Suu Kyi’s govt to step down
Buddhist ultranationalist monks from the radical Ma Ba Tha group attend a meeting to celebrate their anniversary with a nationwide conference in Yangon, Myanmar, on May 27, 2017. Source: Reuters/Soe Zeya Tun
Buddhist ultranationalist monks from the radical Ma Ba Tha group attend a meeting to celebrate their anniversary with a nationwide conference in Yangon, Myanmar, on May 27, 2017. Source: Reuters/Soe Zeya Tun
‘Don’t blame on Ma Ba Tha and make it a culprit.’ – U Wirathu. Source: AP
AN influential Burmese ultranationalist monk has called on the Aung San
Suu Kyi-led National League for Democracy (NLD) government to step down
amid the intensifying rift between her administration and the outlawed
Ma Ba Tha group.
In an 11-minute video posted on Facebook, Ashin Wirathu – popularly
known as U Wirathu, made the call following the government’s July 15
deadline for the Ma Ba Tha (Association for Protection of Race and
Religion) to remove their signboards, the Irrawaddy reported on Monday.
“The NLD government better step down. Don’t touch Ma Ba Tha. Ma Ba Tha
is not the opposition, ” U Wirathu was quoted as saying in the video
clip.
“Ma Ba Tha is protecting the nationality, which the government cannot do.”
“Ma Ba Tha is the association protecting the religion and Sasana. The
government is not an expert in that sector. Don’t blame on Ma Ba Tha and
make it a culprit,” he said.
“If you [the government] think you are brave enough, be transparent and
hand over the power to those who can well handle the country.”
According to the Irrawaddy, the
government’s State Buddhist Sangha authority (Ma Ha Na) and the
Information Ministry earlier threatened legal action against Ma Ba Tha
members who defied state orders to disband the ultranationalist group
and cease carrying out activities.
The ministry last week also issued warnings against Ma Ba Tha chapters
in Mandalay Division and Karen State, which have refused to remove their
signboards despite government directives to do so since May.
Earlier this month, the government vowed to take action against the Ma
Ba Tha if the hardline Buddhist organisation proceeds with plans to
rebrand itself to circumvent the government’s ban.
Religious Affairs Minister Thura Aung Ko also pointed out the Buddha
Dhamma Parahita Foundation was a direct offshoot of the Ma Ba Tha.
U Wirathu’s call signalled mounting tensions between the democratically
elected government and the influential ultranationalist group linked to
incidences of hate speech and religiously-motivated violence against the
country’s minority communities.
In May, the Ma Ba Tha said it planned to change their name to enable the
group to continue their activities in response to a ban imposed by the
government
Thousands of members defiantly attended a two-day conference despite the government’s May 23 order to disband it.
The hardline group also held a series of protests since then and
expressed interest in forming a political party to run in the next
elections, due in 2020.
U Wirathu said he was forced to react to the government’s ban and that
the authorities’ move to eliminate the Ma Ba Tha “could not be
forgiven.”
“Ma Ba Tha is the fortress of Theravada Buddhism. I will not let this
fortress be destroyed. If signboards of Ma Ba Tha fall, our religion and
Sasana will disappear,” he said. “I will protect it with my life.”
The monk said the state of the country had declined since the end of
junta rule under ex-president Thein Sein, accusing the government of
mismanaging the economy.
He said the Nobel laureate Suu Kyi was only just beginning to understand
peace as she is only starting to realise the difficulties of
maintaining stability in the country.
Burma (Myanmar), the monk opined, fared better under Thein Sein when the
costs of commodities were lower while the number of goods in the market
were higher.
“In the past, we were poor, but it was nothing compared to under NLD
rule. If the government continues like this, more people will suffer,”
he said.
In banning the Ma Ba Tha, U Wirathu said the government was covering up its weaknesses.
Anti-Muslim sentiment in Burma is most potent in the troubled Rakhine
State, where most of its stateless Rohingya Muslim minority reside. They
have been subjected to persecution and violence at the hands of Burma’s
security forces and Buddhist vigilantes influenced by Ma Ba Tha.
The United Nations has claimed more than 1,000 Rohingya people have been
killed in the army’s operations in Rakhine and at least 70,000 have
fled to neighbouring Bangladesh since late 2016.