Sayadaw U Ottamathara, head of the Thabawa Meditation Center, meets with National League for Democracy patron U Tin Oo in Yangon on June 8.
A Buddhist monk who runs a refuge for thousands of homeless people has drawn criticism for suggesting that detained civilian leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi should leave politics and cooperate with the military regime to achieve peace in Myanmar.
Buddhist monk U Ottamathara, the head of Thabawa (Nature) Meditation Center in Thanlyin Township on the outskirts of Yangon, visited National League for Democracy (NLD) patron U Tin Oo at his house on Thursday. The meditation center posted a video of the meeting on its Facebook page on Friday.
In the video, U Ottamathara says tensions are running high in the Myanmar military over Aung San Suu Kyi’s refusal to give up politics.
Suu Kyi is the key person for peace in Myanmar given her influence over the majority of the population, said the monk.
“For the sake of people and peace, if she says something is white, not many people will say it is black,” the monk told U Tin Oo.
The monk said he would like to meet Suu Kyi in person to explain that the situation could either improve or worsen depending on her actions.
U Tin Oo, 96, gave a murmured response that could not be deciphered from the clip.
The monk’s meeting with NLD’s patron came after junta National Solidarity and Peace Negotiation Committee (NSPNC) chairman Lieutenant-General Yar Pyae and retired Lt-Gen Khin Zaw Oo met Suu Kyi in Naypyitaw Prison, where she is being held, on May 27 and June 4.
The military regime is fighting a multi-front war across the country comprising daily clashes with ethnic armed organizations and resistance groups collectively known as the People’s Defense Force, which operates as the armed wing of the civilian National Unity Government.
U Ottamathara has also held several rounds of talks with junta representatives led by Lt-Gen Win Bo Shein and Lt-Gen Min Naing of the NSPNC, according to Thabawa Meditation Center’s Facebook page.
The monk has opened meditation centers in Thailand’s Mae Sot and Chiang Mai, with the stated purpose of helping countless Myanmar people who have fled the fighting and turmoil that followed the February 2021 coup.
Thai police raided the Mae Sot Thabawa meditation center in August last year and discovered it was harboring Myanmar intelligence officers. The officers were sent by the junta to gather information on Myanmar citizens who oppose military rule, according to Thai media reports. U Ottamathara denied harboring intelligence officials.
Political observers believe Thabawa Meditation Center may have ties with the junta’s military intelligence chief Lt-Gen Ye Win Oo. They speculate that U Ottamathara met U Tin Oo on orders from the junta.
“This is a move by the Myanmar military to create discord as it wants to halt the uprising by taking advantage of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. The conflicts will stop if Daw Aung San Suu Kyi speaks out. This way, she would be regarded the mother of peace but unable to engage in politics, and Myanmar’s military could do as it pleases,” one observer remarked.
However, since it is the military’s involvement in politics that has plunged Myanmar into crisis, it should be the one to abandon politics for peace to prevail in Myanmar, the observer added.
Other observers point out that Suu Kyi retains the backing of most Myanmar people and cannot be left out of any push for genuine peace.
Writing on Facebook, veteran democracy activist Ko Mya Aye said: “We can’t ignore the fact that Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is trusted and supported by the majority of Myanmar’s people. The wishes of the people must be heeded. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi cannot be excluded if solutions are to be sought for Myanmar’s political problems.”
Buddhist monk Sayadaw Min Thu Nya said Thabawa Sayadaw is turning a blind eye to the junta’s violations instead of seeking to stop them as required by Buddhist morality.
“He has witnessed killings, rape, arson, looting and theft by Min Aung Hlaing and his associates. He has not asked them to stop doing those things. What he should be doing is asking for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to be released. But he is now trying to deceive people into thinking that problems will be solved if Daw Aung San Suu Kyi retires from politics,” he said.