• Burmese
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
27 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Military Hospitals Host Blood Drives to Mark Fugitive Monk’s Birthday

De Hlaing Winn by De Hlaing Winn
June 26, 2019
in Burma
Reading Time: 2 mins read
0 0
A A
Medical staffers at Pyin Oo Lwin Military Hospital attend to a monk as he donates blood in commemoration of nationalist monk U Wirathu's 51st birthday on Wednesday. / The Irrawaddy

Medical staffers at Pyin Oo Lwin Military Hospital attend to a monk as he donates blood in commemoration of nationalist monk U Wirathu's 51st birthday on Wednesday. / The Irrawaddy

4.9k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

MANDALAY—Military hospitals in Yangon and Mandalay regions opened their doors to supporters of fugitive ultranationalist monk U Wirathu on Wednesday, holding blood donation ceremonies in commemoration of his 51st birthday.

The monk has been on the run since late last month after the government issued an arrest warrant against him—under Article 124(a) of the Penal Code—for his attempt to incite disaffection with the government. If he is prosecuted under the article, he faces seven to 20 years in prison, or a fine. The monk has long been known for his anti-Muslim rhetoric and is banned from Facebook for his hate speech.

On Wednesday, nearly 400 followers, Buddhist monks and laypersons flocked to military hospitals in Yangon’s Mingalardon Township and Mandalay’s Pyin Oo Lwin, according to the hospitals and donation organizers.

RelatedPosts

Myanmar Junta’s ‘Living Fence’ on Thai Border Falls to Karen Resistance

Myanmar Junta’s ‘Living Fence’ on Thai Border Falls to Karen Resistance

July 14, 2025
641
Myanmar Junta Launches Space Agency With Russian Help

Myanmar Junta Launches Space Agency With Russian Help

July 14, 2025
435
TNLA Invites Investment in Ruby and Mineral Towns Amid Myanmar Junta Onslaught

TNLA Invites Investment in Ruby and Mineral Towns Amid Myanmar Junta Onslaught

July 14, 2025
388

Pictures showed medical staffers at Pyin Oo Lwin’s Military Hospital attending to blood donors while a large poster announcing the mass blood donation and carrying U Wirathu’s picture hung on the wall.

“Everyone participating in the blood drives is a supporter of U Wirathu. They are patriots,” said Ashin Ariya Vunsa, one of the organizers.

A mass blood donation ceremony is held at Yangon’s Military Hospital No. 1 to commemorate nationalist monk U Wirathu’s 51st birthday. / The Irrawaddy

The mass donations at the military hospitals were the latest in a series of events held by Buddhist nationalists, who previously took part in pro-military campaigns to show their solidarity with Myanmar’s armed forces when the military was under international pressure over its actions against the Rohingya. Recently, the commander of Yangon Region, Major General Thet Pone, personally donated nearly US$20,000 (about 30 million kyats) to the leading Buddhist nationalist group formerly known as Ma Ba Tha, which has denounced the government for its prosecution of U Wirathu. The military defended the cash donation, saying that the group is necessary and should be supported in the name of Buddhism.

Regarding the blood donations, U Aung Ko Win, another organizer, told The Irrawaddy that their initial plan was to hold mass donations not only at military hospitals but also in public hospitals in Mandalay. However, Mandalay General Hospital (MGH) rejected their request for being “not in line with official procedures.”

An official from MGH said the hospital denied the request based on its blood donation guidelines, which require donors to submit applications one month in advance.

On Wednesday, U Wirathu’s supporters managed to donate blood at Mandalay Women’s Hospital despite neither identifying themselves as the monk’s followers nor informing hospital officials that they were holding a drive to celebrate his birthday.

Military spokesperson Major-General Zaw Min Tun told The Irrawaddy on Wednesday that military hospitals are normally open for mass blood donations regardless of who the donors are.

“U Wirathu’s birthday—or whatever the case—we have to welcome anyone who wants to donate blood,” he said.

You may also like these stories:

Are the Govt and Military at Odds over Buddhist Nationalists?

Ma Ba Tha is a Necessity: Military

Buddhist Nationalists Urge Voters to Shun NLD at Ballot Box

Yangon Military Chief Donates Nearly $20,000 to Buddhist Nationalist Group

Your Thoughts …
De Hlaing Winn

De Hlaing Winn

Similar Picks:

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang
Burma

Exodus: Tens of Thousands Flee as Myanmar Junta Troops Face Last Stand in Kokang

by Hein Htoo Zan
November 28, 2023
98.5k

Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army troops are opening roads and pathways through forests for people to flee Kokang’s capital as...

Read moreDetails
Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public
Burma

Burning Alive in Myanmar: Two Resistance Fighters Executed in Public

by The Irrawaddy
February 7, 2024
89.9k

People’s Defense Force says junta troops told every household in the village to send one member to witness the double...

Read moreDetails
Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State
War Against the Junta

Another Entire Junta Battalion Raises the White Flag in Myanmar’s Northern Shan State

by The Irrawaddy
November 29, 2023
87.1k

Brotherhood Alliance member says it now has complete control of Kokang’s northernmost section after the junta’s Light Infantry Battalion 125...

Read moreDetails
Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks
Burma

Depleted Myanmar Military Urges Deserters to Return to Barracks

by The Irrawaddy
December 4, 2023
59k

The junta said deserters would not be punished for minor crimes, highlighting the military’s shortage of troops as resistance offensives...

Read moreDetails
As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue
Burma

As Myanmar’s Military Stumbles, a Top General’s Dissapearance Fuels Intrigue

by The Irrawaddy
April 19, 2024
47k

The junta’s No. 2 has not been seen in public since April 3, sparking rumors that he was either gravely...

Read moreDetails
Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow
Burma

Enter the Dragon, Exit the Junta: Myanmar’s Brotherhood Alliance makes Chinese New Year Vow

by The Irrawaddy
February 12, 2024
44.8k

Ethnic armed grouping says it will continue Operation 1027 offensive until goal of ousting the junta is achieved. 

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Rohingya refugees are reflected in rain water along an embankment next to paddy fields after fleeing from Myanmar into Palang Khali, near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh in November 2017. / Reuters

ICC Prosecutor Seeks Bangladesh and Myanmar Investigation

Workers assemble products at a factory owned by Yakeda Outdoor Travel Products Co. LTD in Yangon, Myanmar on June 11, 2019. / REUTERS

To Dodge Trade War, Chinese Exporters Shift Production to Low-Cost Nations

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

5 days ago
1.2k
China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

China’s Surveillance State Watches Everyone, Everywhere

7 days ago
1.1k

Most Read

  • Myanmar Junta’s ‘Living Fence’ on Thai Border Falls to Karen Resistance

    Myanmar Junta’s ‘Living Fence’ on Thai Border Falls to Karen Resistance

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ‘Las Vegas in Laos’: the Riverside City Awash With Crime

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Launches Space Agency With Russian Help

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • TNLA Invites Investment in Ruby and Mineral Towns Amid Myanmar Junta Onslaught

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Chief Thanks Trump for Shutting Down VOA and RFA

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.