Ashin Wirathu is not a ‘fake monk’. So what if Sitagu Sayadaw’s ancestors were from the Indian subcontinent? The Rakhine conflict is about mass migration, land grabbing and a clash of cultures. The fact that the so called ‘Rohingya’ and Sitagu Sayadaw look darker skinned than average is really not relevant.
See her 2013 interview with CNN at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga2_yVP8-7A
“I’m always surprised when people speak as if I’ve just become a politician. I’ve been a politician all along. I started in politics not as a human rights defender or a humanitarian worker, but as the leader of a political party. And if that’s not a politician then I don’t know what is.”
Suu Kyi has always cherished dynastic ambitions, born to rule, as it were, like our Prince Charles. No wonder they get on so well. Politicians, of course, use “rule of law” and “human rights”, in which they may nonetheless strongly believe, to advance their political agendas.
From her days at Oxford she let it be known that she felt a sense of mission, and when the time came, her husband and children were quietly relegated to the Second Division as she took up her political career. Very successful, if I may say, and it has assured her place in history. Our Boris (and the rest of the prominenti in the UK) remain head over heels in love with her, and they are not about to abandon her because of the crisis in Rakhine State.
Why do the writers consider and give a biased alternative facts, that the Southern Thai Muslims are ‘Malay Muslims’? I have been travelling to the three Southern Provinces regularly over theses past three years and have found the Southern ‘Thai Muslims’ to be friendly, helpful, and eager to get on with their lives. That a handful of radicals wish for something different is not a well-spring of anti-Thai/central government feelings. Also in that time I never have ever relied on the police or military for security as my association with everyday Muslims have given me comfort.
Apparently, Sitagu Sayadaw’s Buddhism saved him from opprobrium by the likes of Wirathu. Otherwise, he would be branded a *Kala* — a pejorative term for Indian migrants, and now their descendants – by half-educated Burmese chauvinists.
The hatred of the bogeyman Kala was fanned during the Marxist-socialist dictatorship (1962-1988) as mass distraction from the monumental failures of the dumb ultra-nationalists.
Intriguingly, the contributions of Burmese Muslim politicians, doctors, entrepreneurs, artists, activists, athletes, police officers, firefighters and soldiers were acknowledged by the democratic government of U Nu (1948-1962). There were two Muslims in his cabinet.
And . . . televangelist Sitagu Sayadaw — *one of the most popular Buddhist monk in Burma* – is of Indian-Bengali descent. He’s a good mate of Wirathu, a notorious fake monk and hate preacher.
Such bitter irony and black humour.
Wake up, secularist leader Gen. Aung San: The children have gone mad.
The distinction between “human rights advocate” and “politician” is an artificial one, a false dilemma if there was ever one. She has often portrayed herself as a human rights defender, and her self-characterization as a mere politician strikes me as totally disingenuous. She has cultivated her image of “human rights champion” for many years, and now she’s reneging on that out of convenience when she finds herself in a very awkward position. When I interviewed her in 2011, I asked her what was the ideological basis of her concept of democracy, and her reply was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Do ALL separatist groups in Patani want sharia law? My understanding is that some do not have this as their platform – eg. the major separatist organisation, PULO. And that rather than full separation from Thailand, they want autonomy. Thailand would be better off with a federal system – not least because Isaarn now looks increasingly like Patani was when this insurgency began re-kindling, as I travelled through there way back in 1992.
Excellent revelation of CIA perspectives. But HOW do we know Bumiphol and Ananda were “PLAYING with guns”, when Ananda was shot ? ALL physical evidence is that he was asleep, on his bed.
So much negative press about Indonesia, currently. Frankly, I switch off. So reminiscent of Yellow Peril, “threat from the North”, regurgitated., refashioned, re-packaged, updated.
Providing better health and education is a basic function of government and I see no patronage in what the Mayor of Blitar is doing. He’s seems like he is good mayor and will be rewarded by reelection. His case doesn’t tell us anything about a different, more positive form of patron-client relationship. These remain as pernicious networks that undermine the establishment of a rule of law system.
Suu Kyi, incidentally, has said that she was never a human rights advocate, but always a politician. It is our mistake that we thrust on her any human rights icon.
Absolutely right, and the West should stop “Palestinizing” Myanmar.
There has to be Saudi oil money behind the good media-run this Islamic enclave in Burma is getting. The world’s capitalist media run anything as long as it’s paid for. The Kachin, Shan, and Karen don’t have rich backers, so they suffer unnoticed.
Well putting political aside, therefore, there is no problem emphasizing at least basic comprehension of Malay language for Malaysian citizens (putting aside the fear that you will be talking proper Malay language 24 hours a day. Outside informal setting you are free to choose what kind language, ascent, dialect you want to speak given that people that you want to communicate agree to use the language you choose and understand that language)
Indeed I’m sure you’re right, but it should always be remembered that none of his family were, indeed are, shining intellectual beacons, despite the Palace’s ongoing obsession with hunting high and low for honorary qualifications for them. Most of them seem to be borderline remedial cases to me. though I’m not an expert in that field. Remember also that Daddy never completed his university studies in Switzerland ( think the term is ‘withdrawal before embarrassment’), so the genetics are not altogether promising.
Because of the intellectual deficit (aided no doubt by well-documented in-breeding), I strongly suspect that the late King came to (somewhat unintelligently) believe his own propaganda, and tightly linked Thailand’s destiny with his own. Not the first to do that, and history generally does not smile upon those who do). One should also recall the persistent belief in Thailand that Thaksin’s demise was not due to corruption (I think there’s been more than enough evidence to show the bogus nature of that conviction by a judiciary which is known to be thoroughly corrupt itself), but due to a reaction by the landed gentry to his popularity getting too close to rivalling that of the King, a situation that threatened the benefits flowing to them under the done deals of royal patronage and corruption.
So I doubt he consciously protected his own turf, I think he probably thought (or assumed, either way probably as a result of being told so that by his many toadies) that his fortunes were synonymous with the county’s fortunes. Delusional? Probably. Intelligent? Not very, no.
Either way, the damage this one man, supported by the Army and a rapacious elite, did more damage to Thailand than I could estimate. Though one day it will become clear. Catastrophic is the word teetering on the tip of my tongue.
*shrug* it’s my personal and sincerely-held belief so under a recent Thai court ruling, it’s not libel. And definitely not 112 material.
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The Rohingya crisis and Suu Kyi’s chance
Ashin Wirathu is not a ‘fake monk’. So what if Sitagu Sayadaw’s ancestors were from the Indian subcontinent? The Rakhine conflict is about mass migration, land grabbing and a clash of cultures. The fact that the so called ‘Rohingya’ and Sitagu Sayadaw look darker skinned than average is really not relevant.
The Rohingya crisis and Suu Kyi’s chance
See her 2013 interview with CNN at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga2_yVP8-7A
“I’m always surprised when people speak as if I’ve just become a politician. I’ve been a politician all along. I started in politics not as a human rights defender or a humanitarian worker, but as the leader of a political party. And if that’s not a politician then I don’t know what is.”
Suu Kyi has always cherished dynastic ambitions, born to rule, as it were, like our Prince Charles. No wonder they get on so well. Politicians, of course, use “rule of law” and “human rights”, in which they may nonetheless strongly believe, to advance their political agendas.
From her days at Oxford she let it be known that she felt a sense of mission, and when the time came, her husband and children were quietly relegated to the Second Division as she took up her political career. Very successful, if I may say, and it has assured her place in history. Our Boris (and the rest of the prominenti in the UK) remain head over heels in love with her, and they are not about to abandon her because of the crisis in Rakhine State.
Visions of violence in Southern Thailand
Why do the writers consider and give a biased alternative facts, that the Southern Thai Muslims are ‘Malay Muslims’? I have been travelling to the three Southern Provinces regularly over theses past three years and have found the Southern ‘Thai Muslims’ to be friendly, helpful, and eager to get on with their lives. That a handful of radicals wish for something different is not a well-spring of anti-Thai/central government feelings. Also in that time I never have ever relied on the police or military for security as my association with everyday Muslims have given me comfort.
The Rohingya crisis and Suu Kyi’s chance
KALA actually means *foreigner*.
The Rohingya crisis and Suu Kyi’s chance
Apparently, Sitagu Sayadaw’s Buddhism saved him from opprobrium by the likes of Wirathu. Otherwise, he would be branded a *Kala* — a pejorative term for Indian migrants, and now their descendants – by half-educated Burmese chauvinists.
The hatred of the bogeyman Kala was fanned during the Marxist-socialist dictatorship (1962-1988) as mass distraction from the monumental failures of the dumb ultra-nationalists.
Intriguingly, the contributions of Burmese Muslim politicians, doctors, entrepreneurs, artists, activists, athletes, police officers, firefighters and soldiers were acknowledged by the democratic government of U Nu (1948-1962). There were two Muslims in his cabinet.
The Rohingya crisis and Suu Kyi’s chance
And . . . televangelist Sitagu Sayadaw — *one of the most popular Buddhist monk in Burma* – is of Indian-Bengali descent. He’s a good mate of Wirathu, a notorious fake monk and hate preacher.
Such bitter irony and black humour.
Wake up, secularist leader Gen. Aung San: The children have gone mad.
Eyes on the spies in Thailand
True. But on the balance of probabilities…
The Rohingya crisis and Suu Kyi’s chance
The distinction between “human rights advocate” and “politician” is an artificial one, a false dilemma if there was ever one. She has often portrayed herself as a human rights defender, and her self-characterization as a mere politician strikes me as totally disingenuous. She has cultivated her image of “human rights champion” for many years, and now she’s reneging on that out of convenience when she finds herself in a very awkward position. When I interviewed her in 2011, I asked her what was the ideological basis of her concept of democracy, and her reply was the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
See also a couple of examples:
http://asiasociety.org/video/aung-san-suu-kyi-human-rights-are-human-needs
“I believe in human rights and I believe in the rule of law. I will always fight for these things.”
http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/Suu-Kyi-calls-for-talks-with-junta-leader/article15687033.ece
Eyes on the spies in Thailand
We don’t know and we never will.
State of denial
SAD STATE
Visions of violence in Southern Thailand
Do ALL separatist groups in Patani want sharia law? My understanding is that some do not have this as their platform – eg. the major separatist organisation, PULO. And that rather than full separation from Thailand, they want autonomy. Thailand would be better off with a federal system – not least because Isaarn now looks increasingly like Patani was when this insurgency began re-kindling, as I travelled through there way back in 1992.
Eyes on the spies in Thailand
Excellent revelation of CIA perspectives. But HOW do we know Bumiphol and Ananda were “PLAYING with guns”, when Ananda was shot ? ALL physical evidence is that he was asleep, on his bed.
The dangerous ideology behind Bela Negara
So much negative press about Indonesia, currently. Frankly, I switch off. So reminiscent of Yellow Peril, “threat from the North”, regurgitated., refashioned, re-packaged, updated.
Two sides of the same coin
Providing better health and education is a basic function of government and I see no patronage in what the Mayor of Blitar is doing. He’s seems like he is good mayor and will be rewarded by reelection. His case doesn’t tell us anything about a different, more positive form of patron-client relationship. These remain as pernicious networks that undermine the establishment of a rule of law system.
The dangerous ideology behind Bela Negara
Hi Marc
Thanks for reading and the feedback. Unfortunately two words were mistakenly cut in the original edit of this piece. That has been corrected.
All the best,
James
The Rohingya crisis and Suu Kyi’s chance
Suu Kyi, incidentally, has said that she was never a human rights advocate, but always a politician. It is our mistake that we thrust on her any human rights icon.
Absolutely right, and the West should stop “Palestinizing” Myanmar.
The Rohingya crisis and Suu Kyi’s chance
There has to be Saudi oil money behind the good media-run this Islamic enclave in Burma is getting. The world’s capitalist media run anything as long as it’s paid for. The Kachin, Shan, and Karen don’t have rich backers, so they suffer unnoticed.
Language shaming in Malaysia
Well putting political aside, therefore, there is no problem emphasizing at least basic comprehension of Malay language for Malaysian citizens (putting aside the fear that you will be talking proper Malay language 24 hours a day. Outside informal setting you are free to choose what kind language, ascent, dialect you want to speak given that people that you want to communicate agree to use the language you choose and understand that language)
Language shaming in Malaysia
That is the point of the article I quoted. There is perceived need to learn Malay language.
Eyes on the spies in Thailand
Indeed I’m sure you’re right, but it should always be remembered that none of his family were, indeed are, shining intellectual beacons, despite the Palace’s ongoing obsession with hunting high and low for honorary qualifications for them. Most of them seem to be borderline remedial cases to me. though I’m not an expert in that field. Remember also that Daddy never completed his university studies in Switzerland ( think the term is ‘withdrawal before embarrassment’), so the genetics are not altogether promising.
Because of the intellectual deficit (aided no doubt by well-documented in-breeding), I strongly suspect that the late King came to (somewhat unintelligently) believe his own propaganda, and tightly linked Thailand’s destiny with his own. Not the first to do that, and history generally does not smile upon those who do). One should also recall the persistent belief in Thailand that Thaksin’s demise was not due to corruption (I think there’s been more than enough evidence to show the bogus nature of that conviction by a judiciary which is known to be thoroughly corrupt itself), but due to a reaction by the landed gentry to his popularity getting too close to rivalling that of the King, a situation that threatened the benefits flowing to them under the done deals of royal patronage and corruption.
So I doubt he consciously protected his own turf, I think he probably thought (or assumed, either way probably as a result of being told so that by his many toadies) that his fortunes were synonymous with the county’s fortunes. Delusional? Probably. Intelligent? Not very, no.
Either way, the damage this one man, supported by the Army and a rapacious elite, did more damage to Thailand than I could estimate. Though one day it will become clear. Catastrophic is the word teetering on the tip of my tongue.
*shrug* it’s my personal and sincerely-held belief so under a recent Thai court ruling, it’s not libel. And definitely not 112 material.