An ultranationalist Buddhist monk who helped set up pro-junta militias was detained and questioned by authorities early Friday after he joined calls for junta boss Min Aung Hlaing to resign to show responsibility for a string of humiliating military defeats.
Ashin Ariawuntha, also known as Pauk Ko Taw, was released after being questioned in the morning.
On Tuesday, he told a crowd gathered for a pro-military rally in Mandalay Region’s Pyin Oo Lwin town that Min Aung Hlaing should step down from his post as military chief and hand over control to his deputy, Vice Senior General Soe Win. The monk even uploaded a video clip from the rally to his Facebook page.
The rally – organized by ultranationalist monks and regime supporters – was just one of many being held nationwide, as the junta attempts to stoke Buddhist nationalism. It is using a video clip showing a soldier from the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) damaging a pagoda in Laukkai following the armed group’s seizure of the town early this month.
With its two Brotherhood Alliance allies – the Ta’ang National Liberation Army and Arakan Army – and other anti-regime forces, the MNDAA has taken a large swathe of northern Shan State, including Laukkai. This loss of territory was dubbed “the largest surrender in the history of the Myanmar military” by many, and even some of the regime’s most ardent supporters described it as a massive disgrace for the junta and the military.
During Tuesday’s rally, Ashin Ariawuntha took the podium to demand that Min Aung Hlaing step down and hand over his post as military chief to his deputy.
“Will it be good for him [Min Aung Hlaing] to take a civilian ministerial post?” the 38-year-old firebrand monk asked the audience.
“Yeah. That will be great,” they chanted in response.
The first reports that Ashin Ariawuntha had been taken by regime authorities were posted on Facebook by his followers on Friday morning.
In the afternoon, however, the monk was back online, launching a live broadcast on his Facebook page, saying he was safe and sound after being summoned for questioning.
“We have a nice chat and I’m on my way back to the monastery,” he said. “They summoned me because they had something to ask,” he added.
Ashin Ariawuntha was unrepentant, saying: “I don’t think what I said [at the rally] was wrong. I just spoke out for the soldiers, the country and religion.”
His swift release shows that Min Aung Hlaing will not dare provoke more anger from his dwindling supporters by arresting Ashin Ariawuntha.
The nationalist monk’s call for Min Aung Hlaing to step down follows recent calls for him to resign from some of his most ardent supporters. The regime’s humiliating military defeats have made some high-profile junta cheerleaders question Min Aung Hlaing’s ability to lead the country.
They say he is incompetent, selfish and lacks backbone, and accusing him of guiding a military once considered invincible into a state of inconsolable shame and desperation.
They express their anger against Min Aung Hlaing publicly, on YouTube and Facebook. “Three years is enough for U Min Aung Hlaing” has become their refrain. The timeline refers to the coup the general led in 2021.
Nationalist monks like Ashin Ariawuntha are the latest to call for Min Aung Hlaing’s resignation. He is a member of the Association for the Protection of Race and Religion – known as Ma Ba Tha – an anti-Muslim group that flourished under the military-backed government of U Thein Sein but was banned under the government led by the National League for Democracy.
Myanmar’s military has long wrapped itself in – and clung to – a narrative that centers it as the guardian of race and religion (Buddhism) in Myanmar, and labeled anyone who challenges it as a mortal threat to both. It heartily supported the ultranationalist group, calling it necessary and saying it should be supported by Buddhists. When Min Aung Hlaing staged the coup in 2021, Ma Ba Tha stood with him.
Ashin Ariawuntha is a familiar face at pro-junta rallies. He helped organize pro-regime Pyusawthee militia groups to fight resistance forces in upper Myanmar. When the junta called for public support after its soldiers suffered major defeats in northern Shan State the monk echoed the calls, immediately organized donation drives and urged others to follow suit.
But Min Aung Hlaing has turned into a disappointment.
During the rally in Pyin Oo Lwin on Jan. 16, the monk praised the looks of Min Aung Hlaing’s deputy, Soe Win.
“Look at his facial expressions and his performance. Don’t you think he is soldierly?” he asked the audience.
“Yes, we do,” they chanted in response.
Later, on Facebook, the monk insisted he was telling the truth and would accept the consequences for speaking out.
When the regime’s mouthpieces reported on the rally the next day, Ashin Ariawuntha’s call for Min Aung Hlaing’s resignation was nowhere to be found.
