 |
| A
man salvages items in the courtyard of a partially-destroyed mosque
after sectarian violence spread through central Myanmar, in Gyobingauk.
(Photo: Ye Aung Thu/AFP) |
The National
Eric Randolph
BANGKOK // He emanates the soft-spoken calm expected of a Buddhist monk,
but the venom that Sayadaw Wirathu directs at Myanmar's Muslim
population has led many to see him as one of the chief instigators of
the violence that has convulsed the country in the past two weeks.
Wirathu, a monk based in the northern city of Mandalay, has described
himself as "the Burmese Bin Laden", even though he is stridently and
noxiously anti-Muslim.
The misnomer notwithstanding, Wirathu has become a key figure in a
growing movement of extremist Buddhists who have taken advantage of
increased freedom in Myanmar to foment communal tensions.
A video that circulated on the internet this week shows Wirathu
addressing a crowd and declaring, "We Buddhists let them freely practise
their religion, but once these evil Muslims have control and authority
over us they will not let us practise our religion.
"These Islamists have been buying land and buildings all over the country. They use that money to get our young Buddhist women."
His inflammatory speeches are seen as one of the sparks for the violence
that erupted last week in the town of Meikhtila, where Buddhists and
Muslims have coexisted peacefully for generations. Mobs of armed
Buddhists, some led by monks, rampaged through Muslim areas for two
days, destroying homes, shops and mosques. At least 40 people have been
confirmed dead and 12,000 others have been forced to flee their homes to
temporary camps.
The government of President Thein Sein declared a state of emergency
last Friday and sent the army to the town in a bid to restore calm. But
further anti-Muslim attacks were reported in three nearby towns over the
weekend and spread into several towns in Bago township on Monday and
Tuesday. Curfews were imposed on three more townships north of Yangon on
Wednesday following further reports of violence.
At first, the attacks were said to have begun with an argument between
locals in a Muslim-owned gold shop in Meikhtila, but many believe they
were deliberately orchestrated.
After visiting the devastated town over the weekend, the UN's top
adviser in Myanmar, Vijay Nambiar, told reporters: "There is no doubt
much of this violence was planned. It seemed to have been done, in a
sense, in almost a kind of brutal efficiency."
Released in 2012 after serving a nine-year prison sentence for inciting
anti-Muslim violence, Wirathu has been at the forefront of a new
campaign calling for a boycott of Muslim businesses, with stickers
appearing on shops and vehicles across the country. The campaign takes
the name 969, a reference to the nine qualities of the Buddha - six of
his teachings and nine of the monkhood.
The campaign's use of religious terminology obscures its fiercely
nationalist heart, which is fueled by unsubstantiated fears that Muslims
are out-breeding the ethnic Burmese and infiltrating political parties,
including the opposition National League for Democracy led by Aung San
Suu Kyi.
"NLD offices in most towns are now run by the bearded Muslims," Wirathu
said in his February speech. "As NLD becomes powerful … they approach
Aung San Suu Kyi. When she came back from United States or Europe that
Muslim guy always picked her up with his fancy car, always. Even coming
to Mandalay she used same guy and same car. They've got her. They've
surrounded her."
Wirathu began to draw wider attention last year for his diatribes
against the stateless Rohingya Muslims in the south-west of the country,
who bore the brunt of communal clashes that left at least 180 dead and
120,000 displaced. In his interpretation, the Rohingya burned down their
own houses to earn a place in internationally-funded aid camps.
Myanmar's burgeoning communal tensions threaten to undermine its
transformation from an international pariah to the new darling of the
world's business and diplomatic community.
The easing of repression and censorship has given extremist groups more
political space to operate and promote their causes, analysts say.
"The democratic opening has allowed groups with grievances the
opportunity to advance their interests. This is not unique to Myanmar,"
said Aung Naing Oo, of the Myanmar Peace Centre in Yangon.
He said the situation was complicated further by increased attention on
security forces. In the past, Myanmar's police would likely have
responded with brutal heavy-handedness to control the unrest.
But the Mandalay division government, which oversees Meikhtila, was
heavily criticised after a brutal response to environmental protests
against a copper mine in nearby Letpadaung in November, when police were
accused of using white phosphorus grenades against protesting monks and
civilians.
"The tactics against copper mine protesters backfired, and I have heard
the Mandalay government did not want to use force this time around,"
Aung Naing Oo said.
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