Monk politics a potential risk for Myanmar

CHINA NOW SPEAKS UP…
In this Buddhist country, monks enjoy a high social status. But their sense of xenophobia is also strong, especially in face of the Muslims which account for less than 10 percent of the total population.

Myanmar has witnessed several instances of bloodshed in recent years. The conflict between monks and the Islamist Rohingya people in Rakhine State last year caused hundreds of deaths and left tens of thousands of Rohingya people homeless.

This March, Myanmar’s central city Meiktila also saw a violent confrontation between monks and Muslims. Raging monks set fire to five mosques and several Islamist communities.