YANGON: the retired junta general ho steered Myanmar’s last
five years of reforms has temporarily become a monk, according to state media,
days after he ceded power to a new government led by Aung San Suu Kyi’s
pro-democracy party. Pictures widely shared on social media showed a
shaven-headed Thein Sein wearing his trademark spectacles and draped in the
deep maroon robes of the Buddhist clergy. Myanmar language state newspaper
Myanma Alinn said he had entered a monastery in the central town of PyinOo Lwin
on Monday for a five day stint, taking the monk title “U Thandidamma”. The
retired junta general who steered Myanmar’s last five years of reforms has
temporarily become a monk, according to state media, days after he ceded power
to a ne government led by Aung san Suu Kyi’s pro-democracy party.
Pictures widely shared of social media showed a
shaven-headed Thein Sein wearing his trademark spectacles and draped in the
deep maroon robes of the Buddhist clergy.
Myanmar language state newspaper Myanma Alinn said he had
entered a monastery in the central town of Pyin Oo Lwin on Monday for a five
day stint, taking the monk title “U Than didamma”.
Those close to U Thein Sein said he will practice meditation
during a temporary monkhood of about five days,” the paper said.
It added that he had promised Buddhist elders he would be
ordained as a monk once he finished his role as president.
Spending periods in the monkhood is common for Buddhist men
in Myanmar, where young boys are expected to spend at least three days as
novices in monasteries during their childhood.
Thein sein, a former junta general, led Myanmar’s
quasi-civillian transitional government through five stunning years of reform,
as the nation opened up to the world after decades of repressive and isolating
army rule.
Only a fe years earlier the junta led a violent crackdown on
largely monk led protests that were dubbed the “Saffron Revolution” The unobtrusive 71- year-old handed power to Suu
Kyi and her proxy president Htin Kyaw last week.
While not in parliament he is expected to continue to lead
his army-backed party, now in opposition after Suukyi’s party won land mark
November polls in a landslide.
No comments:
Post a Comment