Irrawaddy-June 10
Junta boss Min Aung Hlaing, who proclaims himself the protector of Buddhism in Myanmar, trampled on yet another core Buddhist value on Sunday when he handed over Mercedes and other vehicles to senior Buddhist monks at a ceremony in Yangon. The vehicles are intended as “national-level regalia vehicles” for members of the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee, he said. The committee, Myanmar’s highest Buddhist authority, is known by the Burmese acronym Ma Ha Na. The vehicles will help senior monks perform their religious duties with ease, Min Aung Hlaing claimed, explaining the purpose of his donation. Buddhism views material desires as the root of human suffering, but high-profile monks, especially those with ties to the regime, are amassing wealth even as the Buddhist-majority country burns in the midst of a civil war. Sunday’s donation sparked outrage on social media, as millions across Myanmar go hungry and have their lives turned upside down thanks to the junta’s indiscriminate attacks on civilian populations. It also comes close on the heels of two recent massacres in which dozens of villagers were killed in Sagaing Region and Rakhine State. Ma Ha Na has done virtually nothing to stop Min Aung Hlaing’s campaign of terror against Myanmar people over the past three years. The sole exception was on one occasion when it spoke out against the junta’s brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters in the aftermath of the 2021 coup—and that was just a request that Min Aung Hlaing exercise restraint. Following in the footstep of his predecessors, Min Aung Hlaing has sought to establish his legitimacy through Buddhism. One way he tries to do this is by bribing monks with honorary titles, status and cash. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/myanmar-junta-boss-gifts-mercedes-cars-to-senior-monks.html
