Monks join anti-Rohingya marches, adding to pressure on minority
Buddhist monks have joined protest marches in Myanmar in support of a controversial presidential call to deport the minority Muslims
The involvement of Buddhist monks in protests in Myanmar this week in support of a controversial presidential call to deport Rohingya Muslims adds a new dimension to the intensifying persecution of the minority.
The image of hundreds of monks joining protests in Mandalay is politically potent. No group in the predominantly Buddhist country has the moral suasion of Buddhist monks when they take to the streets.
It was a bloody crackdown on monks protesting against the former military junta in late 2007 - a so-called saffron revolution - that is now seen as one of several turning points that pushed the regime towards the creation of its nominally civilian democracy. For the more moderate of the ruling generals, this was a low point and something they did not wish to see happen again.
Sunday's protests were the biggest since the 2007 rallies.
"This is really bad news for the Rohingya," said one foreign diplomat in Yangon, who fears they could have regional implications if the Rohingya are forced to flee the country en masse.
"It might make the president feel he has to take an even tougher line and therefore embolden him to do just that. The tragic reality of politics here is that no one weeps over the Rohingya."
President Thein Sein, a former general, has previously criticised Buddhists for stirring up trouble against Rohingya but has also insisted they must be deported - despite concerns from the United Nations.