Monk Wirathu is known for his hardline views on Rohingyas. Wirathu was accused of hate speech for which Facebook closed his page in 2018. The National Monks Council had also banned him from making speeches for one year but it was not strictly enforced.
He is also known to be pro-military and opposed to the state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.
Before surrendering to the police, he spoke to a monk’s association in Yangon. He said that the government has disrespected a ‘son of Buddha’ by bringing a case against him. He called upon the monks to ‘do their duty in this election’, reports Reuters.
By Rajesh Jha