Myanmar: Radical nationalism a "necessity"

A spokesman for the Myanmar army referred to the nationalist Ma Ba Tha organization as "necessary for Myanmar Buddhists", according to a report by The Irrawaddy on 19 June 2019. Thomas Muller, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: "It is no secret and nothing new that military leaders and radical nationalist monks are closely linked in Myanmar. There is mutual endorsement and backing, as both sides share the over-arching goal of keeping Myanmar"s Buddhism pure and free from all perceived threats. This was clearly shown in the donation of 30 million kyat which one of the army generals publicly gave to Ma Ba Tha, leading to the spokesman"s statement referred to above. It remains to be seen how this growing informal alliance plays out in the elections coming up in 2020. In an interview with The Irrawaddy on 22 June 2019, a legal expert demanded that the Tatmadaw (Myanmar"s army) explain why it donated money to an organization which has been declared illegal by the country"s secular and religious institutions."