Pauk Ko Taw
Pauk Ko Taw | |
|---|---|
ပေါက်ကိုယ်တော် | |
| Personal | |
| Religion | Buddhism |
| Nationality | Burmese |
| School | Theravada |
| Movement | Ma Ba Tha (Patriotic Association of Myanmar) |
| Known for | Buddhist monk, and association with Ma Ba Tha |
| Other names | Ashin Ariawuntha |
| Monastic name | Warthawa |
| Occupation | Buddhist monk |
Search Pauk Ko Taw on Amazon.
Pauk Ko Taw (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.; pronounced [paʊʔ kò dɔ̀], also known as Ashin Ariawuntha (Script error: The function "langx" does not exist.; pronounced [ʔəʃɪ̀ɴ ʔəɹíəwʊ́ɴθə]) is a Burmese Buddhist monk involved in both religious and political movements in Myanmar.[1][2][3] He is a member of Ma Ba Tha (Patriotic Association of Myanmar), a nationalist group advocating for the protection of Buddhism in Myanmar.[4][5] His views on Buddhism's role in politics have been both supported by nationalist groups and criticized by human rights organizations and other observers.[6][7]
Early life and ordination
Pauk Ko Taw was born in Myanmar and later adopted the monastic name Warthawa.[8][9] He eventually became known as Ashin Ariawuntha, a name associated with his public persona and involvement in nationalist movements.[10][11] Specific details about his early life and monastic training are limited, and his public influence grew primarily through his political and social activities.[12][13][14]
Involvement with Ma Ba Tha
Pauk Ko Taw rose to prominence within Ma Ba Tha, a Buddhist nationalist organization that advocates for the protection of Myanmar's Buddhist identity.[15][16] Progressive Voice Myanmar has raised concerns that Ma Ba Tha's rhetoric could foster intolerance, particularly against Myanmar’s Muslim minority.[17] News organizations, including Frontier Myanmar, Burma Human Rights Network, and The Irrawaddy, have described Ma Ba Tha’s policies as aligned with religious nationalism.[18][19][20][21]
Support for the military junta
Pauk Ko Taw has openly supported Myanmar’s military junta, especially following the 2021 coup.[22][23] His alignment with the junta has drawn both support from its proponents and criticism from pro-democracy activists, and some Buddhist leaders, human rights organizations, such as Progressive Voice Myanmar, Amnesty International,United Nations, and Burma Human Rights Network.[24][25][26][27] Myanmar-based news organizations, such as Frontier Myanmar and Burma Human Rights Network, argue that his support for the military is controversial due to the military’s alleged human rights abuses and its suppression of civilian protests.[28][29][30]
His connection to the junta has led to his categorization as a key figure within Myanmar’s Buddhist nationalist movements, which are seen by news organizations and international organizations such as Frontier Myanmar, Burma Human Rights Network, and Progressive Voice Myanmar, as contributing to the country’s ethnic and religious conflicts.[31][32][33][34]
Pyu Saw Htee militias connections
Pauk Ko Taw has also been linked to the Pyusawhti militias, paramilitary groups that support the military junta and is alleged to have been linked to violent activities conducted by these groups.[35][36][37] Reports from Frontier Myanmar and Burma Human Rights Network allege that the Pyu Saw Htee militias have engaged in extrajudicial killings and intimidation.[38][39][40] These associations have further attracted criticism from human rights groups across Myanmar, such as Progressive Voice Myanmar, Burma Human Rights Network, and Frontier Myanmar.[41][42][43][44]
Influence and criticism
Pauk Ko Taw remains a polarizing figure in Myanmar.[45][46] He has garnered support from segments of the population that aligns with his nationalist and pro-military views.[47][48] However, his stance has sparked strong opposition from organizations such as Frontier Myanmar and Burma Human Rights Network argue that his views on nationalism have been viewed as contributing to divisions along religious and ethnic lines.[49][50][51] International news network organizations such as International Crisis Group and Al Jazeera have raised concerns over his support for the military junta, particularly amid the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.[52][53][54]
References
- ↑ "As defeats mount, Buddhist extremists start to desert Myanmar's military regime". AsiaNews. 24 January 2024.
- ↑ Jonathan Head (24 January 2024). "Myanmar's army is losing - and facing fire from a militant monk". BBC News.
- ↑ "Ultranationalist monks including Naymingyi Sayadaw at the Taunggyi protest, U Kaythaya in Yangon and Pauk Ko Taw in Mandalay have all demanded that Min Aung Hlaing step down as commander-in-chief given his battlefield failures during Operation 1027". Frontier Myanmar. 6 February 2024.
- ↑ Burma Human Rights Network (7 November 2024). "Pyu Saw Htee And Pro-Junta Thugs". Progressive Voice Myanmar.
- ↑ "Tidak jelas dukungan seperti apa yang dimiliki Pauk Ko Taw di angkatan bersenjata. Namun komentarnya senada dengan komentar para pendukung junta lainnya, yang semakin frustasi dengan ketidakmampuan para pemimpin militer Myanmar untuk membalikkan keadaan terhadap lawan-lawan mereka. (It is unclear what kind of support Pauk Ko Taw has in the armed forces. But his comments echo those of other junta supporters, who are increasingly frustrated by Myanmar's military leaders' inability to turn the tide against their opponents.)". CNBC Indonesia (in Indonesian). 28 January 2024.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
- ↑ "Nationalist Monk Briefly Detained After Joining Chant Calling for Myanmar's Leader to Step Down". The Irrawaddy. 19 January 2024.
- ↑ "Buddhist monk leading deadly pro-junta militias in Myanmar's Sagaing region". Radio Free Asia. 24 January 2024.
- ↑ "Last week it was the turn of the ultranationalist Buddhist monk Ashin Ariawuntha, also known as Pauk Ko Taw, arrested and interrogated by the authorities after declaring at a rally in the Mandalay region that the head of the junta should hand over power to his deputy, General Soe Win". Agenzia Nova. 22 January 2024.
- ↑ "This is just what happened in January when the ultranationalist monk, Pauk Ko Taw, led a protest by a few hundred pro-regime demonstrators in the former colonial hill station Pyin Oo Lwin, calling for Min Aung Hlaing to resign and hand over the reins of the military and the country to his deputy General Soe Win". University of Melbourne. 3 May 2024.
- ↑ Aung Zay, Nay Min Ni (23 August 2024). "Monk who led junta-trained militias condemns Myanmar junta's abductions for forced recruitment". Myanmar NOW.
- ↑ Jonathan Head (24 January 2024). "This though was criticism from an unusual quarter. The monk, Pauk Ko Taw, is part of an ultra-nationalist fringe of the Buddhist clergy, which has until now been staunchly behind the military junta". BBC News.
- ↑ Thomas Kean. "Myanmar: The Many Foes of Min Aung Hlaing". The Diplomat.
- ↑ "When asked about his role in the conflict, a former Ma Ba Tha monk named Pauk Ko Taw told RFA that Warthawa's actions are "righteous" and that he "doesn't support killing people." "He is just working as a monk for building peace in Sagaing's Kanbalu township, that's why he organized [the groups] for peace making," he said. "We Buddhist monks need to organize people to stay peaceful and united and preach harmony to our ethnic groups. Warthawa has not committed any major sins … in Buddhism."". Radio Free Asia. 24 January 2023.
- ↑ Palki Sharma (26 January 2024). ""Militant Monk" Challenges Myanmar's Military Junta, Becomes Viral | Firstpost Unpacked". Firstpost.
- ↑ Hein Htet Kyaw (2 October 2024). "An Investigation into 969 nationalist Buddhist movement in Burma". Atheist Alliance International.
- ↑ "During a pro-Junta event in Pyin Oo Lwin on January 16th, Monk U Ariya Wun Tha, also known as Pauk Ko Taw, suggested that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is better suited for a civilian role, advocating for him to transition to such a position and transfer the Commander-in-Chief role to his deputy, Vice Senior General Soe Win". Burma News International. 19 January 2024.
- ↑ Burma Human Rights Network (7 November 2024). "Pyu Saw Htee And Pro-Junta Thugs". Progressive Voice Myanmar.
- ↑ "Seven men were arrested by police for an alleged robbery at a home, where a vehicle and a mobile phone were stolen, in Pyigyitagon Township on Sept. 11. The men are alleged to be members of a pro-military militia led by a Buddhist monk named Pauk Ko Taw". Democratic Voice of Burma. 16 September 2024.
- ↑ "Ultranationalist monks including Naymingyi Sayadaw at the Taunggyi protest, U Kaythaya in Yangon and Pauk Ko Taw in Mandalay have all demanded that Min Aung Hlaing step down as commander-in-chief given his battlefield failures during Operation 1027". Frontier Myanmar. 6 February 2024.
- ↑ "This report also explains how the military took the lead in establishing the Pyu Saw Htee group and how it supports the group financially and militarily. This report also provides details on the atrocities committed by the Pyu Saw Htee group on innocent people". Burma Human Rights Network. 18 November 2024.
- ↑ "Pyu Saw Htee And Pro-Junta Thugs". Progressive Voice Myanmar. 7 November 2024.
- ↑ "In mid-January, at a small gathering in a cantonment town in Myanmar, hard line pro-military monk Pauk Kotaw suggested that the country's junta chief Min Aung Hlaing step down and his deputy take over. The crowd cheered in agreement, according to videos of the event posted on social media. Online, pro-military journalists and bloggers have been similarly direct. "He should resign as commander-in-chief," Ko Maung Maung, a pro-military Youtuber said in a post". The Japan Times. 31 January 2024.
- ↑ "«Κοιτάξτε το πρόσωπο του Soe Win», είπε ο Pauk Ko Taw στο πλήθος. «Αυτό είναι το πρόσωπο ενός πραγματικού στρατιώτη. Ο Min Aung Hlaing δεν τα καταφέρνει. Θα πρέπει να μεταβεί σε πολιτικό ρόλο.» ("Look at Soe Win's face," Pauk Ko Taw told the crowd. "This is the face of a real soldier. Min Aung Hlaing doesn't make it. He should move into a political role.")". Hellas Journal (in Greek). 24 January 2024.CS1 maint: Unrecognized language (link)
- ↑ "Human rights in Myanmar Amnesty International". Amnesty International. 2023.
- ↑ "Situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar - Report of the Secretary -General (A/78/278)". United Nations Myanmar. 31 August 2023.
- ↑ "This report also explains how the military took the lead in establishing the Pyu Saw Htee group and how it supports the group financially and militarily. This report also provides details on the atrocities committed by the Pyu Saw Htee group on innocent people". Burma Human Rights Network. 18 November 2024.
- ↑ "Pyu Saw Htee And Pro-Junta Thugs". Progressive Voice Myanmar. 7 November 2024.
- ↑ "The capture of the towns of Laukkai (Kokang) and Paletwa (Chin) had the greatest psychological impact on Tatmadaw soldiers. It led to the sentencing of six generals to death or life imprisonment for surrendering, as well as public and official criticism of junta leader Min Aung Hlaing. In particular, the prominent ultra-nationalist monk Pauk Ko Taw cited him as an example of leniency and endorsed Soe Win, his deputy, as a potential replacement". Atlas of Wars. 1 February 2024.
- ↑ "This report also explains how the military took the lead in establishing the Pyu Saw Htee group and how it supports the group financially and militarily. This report also provides details on the atrocities committed by the Pyu Saw Htee group on innocent people". Burma Human Rights Network. 18 November 2024.
- ↑ "Ultranationalist monks including Naymingyi Sayadaw at the Taunggyi protest, U Kaythaya in Yangon and Pauk Ko Taw in Mandalay have all demanded that Min Aung Hlaing step down as commander-in-chief given his battlefield failures during Operation 1027". Frontier Myanmar. 6 February 2024.
- ↑ "Myanmar Digital Coup Quarterly: November 2023-January 2024". EngageMedia. 5 February 2024.
- ↑ "This report also explains how the military took the lead in establishing the Pyu Saw Htee group and how it supports the group financially and militarily. This report also provides details on the atrocities committed by the Pyu Saw Htee group on innocent people". Burma Human Rights Network. 18 November 2024.
- ↑ "Ultranationalist monks including Naymingyi Sayadaw at the Taunggyi protest, U Kaythaya in Yangon and Pauk Ko Taw in Mandalay have all demanded that Min Aung Hlaing step down as commander-in-chief given his battlefield failures during Operation 1027". Frontier Myanmar. 6 February 2024.
- ↑ "Pyu Saw Htee And Pro-Junta Thugs". Progressive Voice Myanmar. 7 November 2024.
- ↑ "In mid-January, at a small gathering in a cantonment town in Myanmar, hard line pro-military monk Pauk Kotaw suggested that the country's junta chief Min Aung Hlaing step down and his deputy take over. The crowd cheered in agreement, according to videos of the event posted on social media". Bangkok Post. 31 January 2024.
- ↑ Burma Human Rights Network. "Pyu Saw Htee And Pro-Junta Thugs". Progressive Voice Myanmar.
- ↑ "Resisting the Resistance: Myanmar's Pro-military Pyusawhti Militias". International Crisis Group. 6 April 2022.
- ↑ "Pyu Saw Htee And Pro-Junta Thugs". Burma Human Rights Network. 7 November 2024.
- ↑ "At least 20 junta soldiers and pro-regime Pyu Saw Htee militia members were killed and 10 others injured in Shwebo Township, Sagaing Region on Saturday when several resistance groups raided junta bases in four villages—Nyaung Kaing, Zee Phyu Kone, Tal Thee Taw and Thee Kone—said the Burma National Revolutionary Army (BNRA), which joined the attacks". The Irrawaddy. 27 November 2023.
- ↑ Brian Wei (15 February 2024). "Infamous Myanmar Militia Leaves Trail of Death And Destruction in Magwe Region". The Irrawaddy.
- ↑ "Last week, an ultranationalist Buddhist monk who helped set up pro-junta militias was detained and questioned by authorities after he joined calls for Min Aung Hlaing to resign to show responsibility for the string of humiliating military defeats. 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, Ashin Ariawuntha, also known as Pauk Ko Taw, was released after being questioned in the morning". The Irrawaddy. 22 January 2024.
- ↑ "Pyu Saw Htee And Pro-Junta Thugs". Progressive Voice Myanmar. 7 November 2024.
- ↑ "Pyu Saw Htee And Pro-Junta Thugs". Burma Human Rights Network. 7 November 2024.
- ↑ "Ultranationalist monks including Naymingyi Sayadaw at the Taunggyi protest, U Kaythaya in Yangon and Pauk Ko Taw in Mandalay have all demanded that Min Aung Hlaing step down as commander-in-chief given his battlefield failures during Operation 1027". Frontier Myanmar. 6 February 2024.
- ↑ Showe Showe (16 September 2024). "Ultranationalist Buddhist groups, like Ma Ba Tha, have been vocal in supporting the military's narratives of protecting the religion from external and internal threats. Following the 2021 coup led by Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the influential Ma Ba Tha monk, Sitagu, a Supreme Buddhist Monk Committee member, backed and praised the general as a hero of Buddhism. Militant monks like Warthawa and Pauk Ko Taw are also leading violent pro-junta militias to advance Ma Ba Tha's nationalist agenda". The Diplomat.
- ↑ Showe Showe (16 September 2024). "Ultranationalist Buddhist groups, like Ma Ba Tha, have been vocal in supporting the military's narratives of protecting the religion from external and internal threats. Following the 2021 coup led by Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing, the influential Ma Ba Tha monk, Sitagu, a Supreme Buddhist Monk Committee member, backed and praised the general as a hero of Buddhism. Militant monks like Warthawa and Pauk Ko Taw are also leading violent pro-junta militias to advance Ma Ba Tha's nationalist agenda". The Diplomat.
- ↑ Aung Zay, Nay Min Ni (23 August 2024). "According to the monk, commonly known by the epithet 'Pauk Ko Taw', two brothers from Htauk Shar Kone village in Mandalay Region's Tada-U Township were taken captive on August 16 while on their way to Mandalay to take construction jobs". Myanmar NOW.
- ↑ "Monk Pauk Ko Taw, who until now had supported the regime's strongman, General Min Aung Hlaing, publicly criticised him calling for his deputy to step in his place. Morale among the troops is very low, and some commanders who surrendered have been sentenced to death. The fall of another major city could start a new phase in the civil war (or lead to its resolution)". Asia News. 24 August 2024.
- ↑ "Ultranationalist monks including Naymingyi Sayadaw at the Taunggyi protest, U Kaythaya in Yangon and Pauk Ko Taw in Mandalay have all demanded that Min Aung Hlaing step down as commander-in-chief given his battlefield failures during Operation 1027". Frontier Myanmar. 6 February 2024.
- ↑ "Pyu Saw Htee And Pro-Junta Thugs". Progressive Voice Myanmar. 7 November 2024.
- ↑ "Pyu Saw Htee And Pro-Junta Thugs". Burma Human Rights Network. 7 November 2024.
- ↑ "During a pro-Junta event in Pyin Oo Lwin on January 16th, Monk U Ariya Wun Tha, also known as Pauk Ko Taw, suggested that Senior General Min Aung Hlaing is better suited for a civilian role, advocating for him to transition to such a position and transfer the Commander-in-Chief role to his deputy, Vice Senior General Soe Win". Burma News International. 19 January 2024.
- ↑ "Resisting the Resistance: Myanmar's Pro-military Pyusawhti Militias". International Crisis Group. 6 April 2022.
- ↑ Andrew Nachemson, Kyaw Hsan Naing (2 June 2022). "Shadowy pro-military militias target Myanmar's anti-coup movement". Al Jazeera News.
See also
External links
- Myanmar's army is losing - and facing fire from a militant monk
- As defeats mount, Buddhist extremists start to desert Myanmar’s military regime
Buddhist monk leading deadly pro-junta militias in Myanmar’s Sagaing region
This article "Pauk Ko Taw" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Pauk Ko Taw. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
