Radical monk endorses ruling party

Myanmar's firebrand Buddhist monk Wirathu has openly endorsed President Thein Sein's ruling party in the Nov 8 general election, saying Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition party was "full of themselves" and unlikely to win the vote.

Hardline monks will push for laws banning Muslim dress and other Muslim customs, Wirathu told Reuters yesterday before a rally held by thousands of members of the radical Buddhist group Ma Ba Tha.

The remarks could stoke religious tension, already high in Myanmar after Ma Ba Tha played a big role in securing passage of four so-called Protection of Race and Religion Laws seen as targeting women and the country's Muslim minority.

The group has emerged as a force ahead of the poll, criticizing Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD), which opposed the four laws.

"NLD people are so full of themselves," Wirathu, 47, who is a leading ultra-nationalist member of Ma Ba Tha, but does not run the organization, said in an interview. "They don't have a high chance of winning in elections."

Experts say pressure on the NLD can translate into support for the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP).

"If we have to choose the best, it is the President Thein Sein's government," Wirathu added. "They could open the doors and work step by step for peace and development."

Asked about Wirathu's remarks, a senior NLD member, Win Htein, said, "He should go to hell ... According to the teachings of Buddha, monks shouldn't get involved in political affairs. They should be neutral."

Ma Ba Tha has recently sought to tone down its image, portraying itself as a peaceful and apolitical organization, but Wirathu's endorsement of Thein Sein underscores an appetite to influence politics.

Wirathu denied Ma Ba Tha was campaigning for the USDP, but said it was "grateful" to his party for supporting the race and religion laws.

"If the NLD forms the government and if they try to amend the laws, they will have to deal with Ma Ba Tha," he said.