Monday, June 24, 2013

Democratic Voice of Burma

Democratic Voice of Burma

Burma president backs anti-Muslim ‘hate preacher’ Wirathu

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 05:42 AM PDT

President Thein Sein has defended the prominent anti-Muslim monk Wirathu and his controversial "969" movement, which calls for Buddhists to boycott Muslim businesses, after Time Magazine described him as "the face of Buddhist terror" on the front cover of their 1 July edition.

In a public statement issued late on Sunday night, Thein Sein accused Time of slandering the Buddhist religion and harming the national reconciliation process by accusing the outspoken cleric of stoking anti-Muslim violence in Burma.

Describing him as a "son of Buddha", the president defended Wirathu as a "noble person" committed to peace. "The article in Time Magazine can cause misunderstanding about the Buddhist religion, which has existed for millennia and is followed by the majority of Burmese citizens," Thein Sein said.

Wirathu has attracted international condemnation for his vitriolic anti-Muslim sermons, which warn against the threat of "Islamisation" in Burma and have been denounced as "hate speech" by rights activists. Less than two weeks ago he attempted to push through a national law to ban interfaith marriages under the guise of "protecting" the Buddhist faith.

"[Muslims] are breeding so fast and they are stealing our women, raping them," Wirathu told Time in the contentious 1 July issue. "Around 90% of Muslims in Burma are "radical bad people"."

But a spokesperson for the president on Monday defended Wirathu's right to "express [his] opinion" and dismissed allegations that his sermons encouraged violence. He added that it would be up to the government-backed monastic body, Sangha Maha Nayaka, to decide whether his actions should be investigated.

"We have not heard of any complaint made to the Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee that alleges that any of [his] concepts are violent," Ye Htut told DVB, adding that the Time cover unfairly links Buddhism with terrorism. "The article is written from a rather one-sided point of view."

The self-proclaimed "Burmese bin Laden" was jailed by the former military regime in 2003 for fuelling anti-Muslim riots in Mandalay in central Burma. Since his release in January 2012, he has become the face of Burma's "969" movement, which promotes an extreme form of Buddhist nationalism and has been linked to a series of violent attacks on Muslims.

In an interview with DVB last week, Wirathu accused Time of committing a "serious human rights violation" by refusing to present his views in a verbatim question and answer format.

"Before I had heard [rumours] of the Arab world dominating the global media," he said. "But this time, I've seen it for myself."

News of the 1 April cover of Time has also stirred controversy on social media, where supporters of Wirathu have set up a Facebook page calling for a boycott against the "lying, unjust" magazine. Meanwhile an online petition, which is pushing 50,000 signatures on Avaaz.org, is calling for Time to withdraw the edition.

The controversial Time cover has also prompted criticisms among other analysts, who worry that the media's excessive focus on Wirathu may distract attention from the government's failure to address anti-Muslim violence in Burma.

Some 140,000 predominantly Muslim Rohingya were displaced during two bouts of ethno-religious clashes with Arakanese Buddhists in western Burma last year. Since March, anti-Muslim riots have spread to several towns in central Burma, including Meikhtila, where at least 43 people were killed and thousands more displaced.

But so far only Muslims have been sentenced to jail, including a woman who allegedly sparked violence in Oakkan township near Rangoon by bumping into a novice monk and spilling his alms bowl.

While Thein Sein blamed "political opportunists and religious extremists" for exploiting the Buddhist faith in a March speech, Sunday's statement has raised questions about his sincerity in addressing the violence.

"The government's claims that it is seeking to uphold 'rule of law' for all concerned is contradicted by the president's apparent willingness to bend over backwards to protect those inciting violence when they wear saffron robes,” Phil Robertson, Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch’s Asia Division, told DVB. ”By appeasing hate speech in religious form, Thein Sein and his government are heading in precisely the wrong direction on human rights.”

Even democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi has come under fire for failing to speak out for Burma's Muslim minorities. But the opposition leader recently took a stance against both Wirathu's proposed interfaith marriage ban, and the government's two-child policy for Rohingyas.

Western governments, including the US, have also insisted that Thein Sein must stop violence against Muslims.

"We have consistently encouraged religious and civil society leaders and other citizens to take a stand against violence," Michael Quinlan, a spokesperson for the US Embassy in Rangoon, told DVB. "We continue to discuss with the Burmese government the need to promote a pluralistic and tolerant society."

Nay Thwin contributed reporting.

Ye Htut on Wirathu, Buddhist nationalism and religious freedom in Burma

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 04:56 AM PDT

Following the publication of the July issue of Time that features notorious nationalist monk Wirathu on the cover along with the headline: 'The Face of Buddhist terror", Burma's government says the magazine is undermining the religion in the eyes of the international community. 

During an interview with Deputy Information Minister Ye Htut, DVB's Nay Thwin asks the official about the government's official response to the article and what they're doing to address sectarian tensions in the country.

How much impact does the government think Time magazine's article can have given that the President's Office has released a statement denouncing it?

It had to be done especially because Time magazine's cover portrayed Buddhism in association with terrorism. Moreover, the article is written from a rather one-sided point of view and could create misunderstandings among the international community concerning Buddhism. And the article could potentially damage inter-faith trust-building efforts in the country.

So a statement has been published on the President's Office Burmese-language website. Do you plan to send an official complaint to Time?

For now we are just stating our opinion on the President's Office website.

We saw the 969 movement was mentioned in the statement and you also mentioned the government was working to promote mutual understanding and trust among different religions. But at the same time, there are certain Buddhist monks who are being criticised for inciting misunderstandings among religions. How does the President's Office view this issue?

As provided in Article-362 of the Constitution, everyone is entitled to follow any religion of their choosing. Besides Buddhism, it recognises Hinduism, Christianity, Animism and Islam as faiths practiced in the country. So everyone is entitled to follow, in line with the law, any religion. Moreover, they have the freedom to express their opinion, but we do not allow for the instigation of violence against other religions.

What plans does that government have to take action against individuals inciting religious violence?

The responsibility to judge what Buddhist monks preach mainly lies with the Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee. Today, various monks are preaching based on various concepts to promote their religion and we have not heard any complaints at the Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee that alleges that any of these concepts are violent.

So does this mean that the President's Office assumes that some of the sermons that are being preached in the country are not alarming?

The president mentioned in one of his speeches – we are in an era of transitioning into a democracy and must allow the practice of democracy, but on the other hand, we must also prevent violence and insulting others.

In order to do this, mutual-trust must be built among different religions and, just so, people will learn whether something they say about their religion could be harmful to other religions or not. To address that, we are organising inter-faith conferences and seminars to prioritise exchanging views. We have given serious concern to issues that may create misunderstanding, which is why we are committed to bringing about unity among religions.

Ethnic alliance, govt aim to hold talks in July as clashes continue

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 04:44 AM PDT

A coalition representing 11 of Burma's ethnic armed groups and the government are planning to hold a new round of talks after months of delays as clashes continue to erupt in Burma's far north.

In February, the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) and the government's Internal Peace Making Work Committee met in northern Thailand's Chiang Mai where they discussed establishing a framework to facilitate a political dialogue.

During the negotiations, the two sides agreed to hold a follow up round of negotiations within two months.

According to the Myanmar Peace Centre's Hla Maung Shwe, the prospective meeting was delayed in order to prioritise negotiations with the Kachin Independence Organisation (KIO), which is a member of the UNFC.

"We had to prioritise discussing the conflict with the KIO – we informed the [UNFC] and they agreed to postpone the follow-up meeting," said Hla Maung Shwe.

"There is a meeting appointed in early July between work groups from both sides – the follow-up talks would likely follow that."

In late May, the KIO and the government negotiators met in Kachin state's capital Myitkyina where they etched out a tentative deal aimed at reducing fighting between the two sides, opening a political dialogue and resettling residents who have been displaced by the fighting.

While the Naypyidaw-backed Myanmar Peace Centre has expressed confidence in putting an end to Burma's myriad civil wars, renewed fighting between the KIO's armed wing, the Kachin Independence Army, and the military appears to have undermined the recent progress made by the government negotiators.

According to a report published by the AP on Monday, a KIO spokesperson said the negotiations had failed to quell the violence as the two sides have engaged in more than 20 clashes since holding in Myitkyina talks last month.

''It will be correct to say that the government used the opportunity of peace talks to prepare for the next assault,'' KIO spokesperson La Nan told the AP.

In a report published by the Shan Herald Agency for News last week, the Shan State Army-North, another UNFC member, claimed the military had launched assaults against one of their outposts in clear violation of the ceasefire they signed with Naypyidaw.

During an interview with DVB earlier this month, UNFC spokesperson David Tharckabaw said Thein Sein's government has failed to prove they're in control of the country's massive military.

"The president’s delegation is doing something and the army is independent," said David Tharckabaw.

"The president has no control over the army, so it does whatever it likes."

According to government sources, President Thein Sein will hold a conference in the next couple of months with all of the country's armed rebel groups to discuss a potential political solution aimed at ending the numerous civil conflicts that have rocked Burma since independence.

-David Stout provided additional reporting.

Wirathu lashes out at Time magazine

Posted: 24 Jun 2013 04:30 AM PDT

Burma’s most notorious monk, Wirathu, has spoken out about Time magazine’s July issue which features his photo and the headline: “The Face of Buddhist terror" on the cover.
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