Radical Burmese Monks Protest against Malaysian PM for
Supporting Rohingya Cause
Yangon, Myanmar – Dozens of
radical Burmese Buddhist monks held protests in front of Malaysian Embassy in
Yangon today to condemn Malaysian PM Najib Tun Razak for his support to the
Rohingya cause.
Around 30 radical monks led by
‘the chief monk or abbot (Pamaukkha) of Magwe Monastery’ gathered in front of
the Malaysian embassy and chanted slogans against the PM of Malaysia calling
Malaysia is attempting to interfere in Myanmar’s internal affairs.
The monks held banners with the
slogans ‘Condemnation of Malaysia Prime Minister, Don’t Pressure Myanmar Government’
written over it and the PM Najib’s photo cross-marked in red color.
The chief monk declared “we
will continuously hold protests in front of Malaysian embassy from December 4
onward as the counter-protests to ‘the protests in front of Myanmar embassy in
Malaysia’ over Bengali (the term popularly used by the government and Burmese
extremists for Rohingya to give them a portrayal of foreigners) issue in
Rakhine state.”
The PM Najib is set to give a
rare appearance in a public rally to be held tomorrow in Kuala Lumpur in order
to denounce the ethnic cleansing of Rohingya conducted by the (Myanmar) army in
the Myanmar’s Arakan state, which U Zaw Htay, the deputy director of the
President Office, has called ‘Interfering in Myanmar’s internal affairs.’
The Malaysian foreign ministry
has hit out at U Zaw Htay stating that the persecution of Rohingya is not an
internal affairs of Myanmar anymore but a serious concern for the stability and
security of the ASEAN nations and an international humanitarian concern.
Malaysia issued a
strongly-worded statement in November calling the atrocities against Rohingyas
as Ethnic Cleansing and urged the Myanmar government to immediately stop the
violence.
The Myanmar migrant workers in
Malaysia, most of who are without legal permits, show their concerns on social
media over their security in the country due to the rising tensions between the
two countries (i.e. Myanmar and Malaysia).
Editor’s Note: U Zaw Htay, the
current deputy director of the President Office, is an ex-army major who had
served as the director of President Office under the ex-President Thein Sein.
In 2012, he openly incited hatred against the Rohingya Muslims among the
Burmese Buddhist society and is complicit in the 2012 violence.
In Buddhism principles, saffron
monks have to refrain from worldly affairs including politics.