A prominent ultranationalist Buddhist monk has publicly urged Min Aung Hlaing to end his regime’s attacks on villages across Myanmar, in a rare expression of criticism from a junta supporter.
Pamokkha, a senior monk linked to the ultranationalist Ma Ba Tha network, made the remarks in a nearly two-minute video posted on TikTok on May 29, ahead of the junta chief’s tour of Buddhist pilgrimage sites as part of a five-day state visit to India.
“Peace cannot be achieved simply by burning villages,” the monk said, referring to the military’s ongoing scorched-earth operations in central Myanmar.
“If military columns continue entering villages and setting them on fire, this must stop,” he added. “Political problems should be solved through political means.”
The comments were unusual because many influential Buddhist monks in Myanmar have remained silent about widespread military abuses since the 2021 coup, including airstrikes, massacres, and systematic arson attacks targeting civilian areas.
Pamokkha is a leading member of Ma Ba Tha, formally known as the Association for the Protection of Race and Religion. Formed in 2013, the group became known for its anti-Muslim rhetoric and strong support for the military.
His criticism coincides with Min Aung Hlaing’s first trip abroad since appointing himself president earlier this year following a military-organised election widely dismissed by critics as illegitimate.
The junta leader arrived in India on May 30 at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. During the visit, he travelled to Bodh Gaya, revered by Buddhists as the place where Siddhartha Gautama attained enlightenment.
Business figures, including Kanbawza Bank owner Aung Ko Win, one of Myanmar’s most prominent cronies, also accompanied the delegation.
Min Aung Hlaing formally handed over his position as armed forces commander-in-chief to long-time loyalist General Ye Win Oo on March 30, ending a 15-year tenure as Myanmar’s top general shortly before assuming the presidency. The move is seen as largely symbolic, however, with Min Aung Hlaing still exercising ultimate authority over both the military and the new, nominally civilian administration.
Despite the leadership transition, military operations have intensified in recent months, according to military analysts and resistance sources. Junta forces have increased the use of large-scale ground offensives and coordinated aerial bombardments across resistance strongholds.
It was against this backdrop that Pamokkha released his message.
Speaking to Myanmar Now by phone on Wednesday, the monk confirmed that he uploaded the video. He added that it was later removed after he was pressured to take it down, though he declined to say by whom.
He admitted fearing retaliation from the authorities.
In the video, he appeared to blame both sides—Myanmar’s military and its Pyu Saw Htee militia allies, and the National Unity Government and its People’s Defence Forces—for attacks on civilians.
“Whenever I go online, I see villages being burned and bombed, and it deeply troubles me,” he said. “Whether it is the PDFs, the NUG, the military, or Pyu Saw Htee militias carrying out attacks or burnings—I do not want any of it. I only want peace for Myanmar.”
He said he had recently seen reports online showing homes being burned in Pakokku, Myittha, Nyaung-U, and Myingyan townships in the country’s central dry zone.
The Myanmar military has conducted widespread village burnings since at least 2022 as part of its counterinsurgency campaign against resistance forces. According to Data for Myanmar, a group documenting military abuses, more than 100,000 civilian homes had been destroyed by military arson attacks nationwide as of April this year.
Asked whether other senior monks might join him in publicly calling for an end to the violence, Pamokkha said fear prevented many from speaking out.
“People worry they could end up in Insein Prison, be arrested, or even killed,” he said. “No one dares to do this.”
Known widely as the “Magway Sayadaw,” Pamokkha previously led anti-Rohingya protests outside the US Embassy in Yangon in 2016. He was sentenced to three months in prison in 2018 for organising an unauthorised demonstration.
