By Rohingya Eye | May 6, 2017
Maungdaw — Wirathu, a fanatic Burmese Buddhist Monk, held
a close-door meeting with the Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP) in Maungdaw on
Thursday (May 4).
It was held in the BGP headquarter and attended by abbot
Wirathu and monks accompanying him; Brigadier General Thura San Lwin, the
Commander of BGP; and other top BGP officials. What were discussed in the
meeting hasn’t been disclosed.
The visit by the extremist and anti-Muslim monk to the
violence-hit Rakhine State (formerly called Arakan state) has created worries
and fears among local Muslims.
“It’s absolutely alright if he comes here to preach
religion and on other purposes. But he preaches more hatred than religion. We
fear his visit will incite Rakhine Buddhists to launch attacks on us.
“Besides, what is more worrying is his meeting with the
BGP. There is no point for a religious figure to meet with members of armed
forces. Especially, at a place which was an epicenter of violence during
October and November last year”, said a Rohingya youth in Maungdaw on the
condition of anonymity.
Wirathu arrived in Sittwe around 1 PM on May 3 and from
there, he arrived in southern Maungdaw at around 4 PM on the same day. He temporarily stopped at the monastery of
‘Inn Din (locally called Aan Daang)’ in southern Maungdaw, where he conducted a
session of religious sermons. During his sermons, he reportedly abused Aung San
Suu Kyi for saying that **the problems in Rakhine state dates back to
18th Century during her ongoing trip in Europe.
At around 7 PM, he arrived at the downtown of Maungdaw
and is reported to have stayed at the monastery of ‘Myoma Kyaung Htaik’ at
night.
The next day, he held a meeting with the Border Guard
Police (BGP) at their head-quarter in the village of ‘Kyikanpyin’. After that,
he visited Rakhine Buddhist villages in northern Maungdaw and donated packs of
rice to the villagers.
On Friday (May 5), he visited Buthidaung ending his
three-day visit to Rakhine State. Wirathu has been labeled as the face of
Buddhist Terror by TIME Magazine.
Note: ** Stating the problems in Rakhine state
dates back to 18th Century implies that Muslim Rohingyas were present in
now-called Rakhine state prior to 1823 and hence, they are as equal citizens
(Taiyyin Thar) as Rakhines or any other ethnic groups in Burma (now-called
Myanmar), according to 1982 Citizenship Law.