Key Sentence:
- Myanmar’s military junta has declared controversial Buddhist monk Ashin Viratu his nationalist and anti-Muslim rhetoric.
- He was previously accused of rebelling against the civilian government, toppled in a military coup in February.
The fire monk was known for his Myanmar’s Military pro-military views. He was called “Buddhist bin Laden” because of his speeches to Muslims, particularly the Rohingya.
Who is Virat, the Myanmar Monk?
He has participated in demonstrations for the war, made nationalist speeches, and criticized then-leader Aung San Suu Kyi also the National League for Democracy government in recent years. In 2019 he was accused of inciting “hatred and contempt” against the civilian government.
Vatu then fled before surrendering to authorities in November last year. Since then, he has been awaiting his trial. On Monday, the military government said all charges against him had been dropped but gave no reason. He added that he was being treated at an army hospital. Wirathu’s health condition is unknown.
The face of Buddhist terror.
Wirathu is accused of inciting violence against Muslims and Rohingya in Myanmar and was one of the most prominent figures in the movement in 969. This Buddhist nationalist movement encouraged Buddhists to shop, sell and marry in their religion.
At the height of his Famous, he had tens of thousands of online followers who followed his sermons on social media or attended rallies. He was barred from speaking publicly in 2012 when deadly violence broke out between Muslims, mostly Rohingya and Buddhists in Rakhine state.
What you need to know about all the Rohingya crisis
The following year Time Magazine headlined the front page: The Face of Buddhist Terror? In 2017, Myanmar’s highest Buddhist body banned him from preaching for a year, and in 2018 Facebook removed his page for hate speech. Myanmar, a country from about 54 million people, Buddhism is the main religion.