Buddhist monk Wirathu has criticised the international
community for calls to investigate Myanmar's generals over the Rohingya crisis
An ultra-nationalist monk -- dubbed the "Buddhist
Bin Laden" -- on Sunday condemned the international community for their
calls to bring Myanmar's generals to justice over the Rohingya crisis.
Firebrand monk Wirathu, known as the face of Myanmar's
Buddhist nationalist movement, was speaking at a pro-military rally that
attracted hundreds of supporters, his first since being barred from giving public
sermons last year.
The ban, which ended in March, was issued by a council of
senior monks who said Wirathu had "repeatedly delivered hate speech
against religions to cause communal strife".
The hate speech he espouses -- which includes calling the
Rohingya Muslim minority "Bengali" in an attempt to delegitimize
their identity as being from Myanmar -- has also caused Facebook to ban him
from their platform.
https://youtu.be/oAoUJOMwMbE
The hardline abbot on Sunday reverted to his signature rhetoric at the rally to protest calls for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate Myanmar's generals for genocide and crimes against humanity against the Rohingya Muslim minority.
"The day when the ICC comes here...is the day that
Wirathu holds a gun," he said in a speech that often referred to himself
in the third person.
He lauded China and Russia in the UN Security Council as
"nationalist giants who stand with the truth" in their role of
preventing any firm action against Myanmar.
"Don't lie to the world saying that Bengalis are
Rohingya because you want to promote Islamisation in Myanmar," Wirathu
said. "Don't destroy our country by creating a fake ethnic group."
The hate speech espoused by Buddhist monk Wirathu has
caused Facebook to ban him from their platform
The military has said their brutal crackdown -- which led
to more than 720,000 Rohingya fleeing across the border carrying accounts of
rape, arson and murder -- was warranted for combatting terrorism.
While much of the world has regarded the unfolding
Rohingya crisis with horror, the majority of people within Myanmar side with
the military as the Muslim minority group is widely detested.
The supporters showed up in force at Sunday's march, with
hundreds gathering in front of downtown Yangon's iconic Sule Pagoda carrying
giant portraits of army chief General Min Aung Hlaing, who UN investigators say
is the most responsible.
"We can't stand the bullying of the army chief and
the Tatmadaw by the international community," said protester Khine Thet
Mar, 46, using the Myanmar name for the military.
The UN Human Rights Council voted last month to prepare
for criminal indictments over the atrocities in Myanmar.
Min Aung Hlaing has remained defiant in the face of
international pressure, saying that no country, organisation or group has the
"right to interfere in" Myanmar's sovereignty.
Source: AFP