Controversial Buddhist Monk U Wirathu has slammed TIME reporter Hannah Beech, claiming she broke media ethics and performed a "savage attack" in her article that labeled him "the face of Buddhist terror."
The article, currently banned in Myanmar, was on the cover of TIME magazine in the Asia Pacific on June 1, and detailed the growing popularity of the 969 movement that has been blamed for recent anti-Muslim violence.
In an open letter published on Wednesday, U Wirathu claims he treated both Beech and her photographer with hospitality, but that he "could not see deceit under [her] sweet words… like a blade covered by honey."
In the letter, he claims he has respect for the Western media, but that the TIME reporter misinterpreted his peaceful intentions. He reprinted the words he said he relayed to Beech at the interview, and claimed that the "hate speech" was fabricated.
Hannah Beech is TIME's East Asia Correspondent and China Bureau Chief. She was given a SOPA award for excellence in reporting following her 2009 coverage of Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, and came to the country earlier this month to report on the 969 movement.
“I had told [Beech] that those names such as Shaved Head Nazi, Neo Nazi and Burmese Bin Laden were given to me by Muslims on Facebook. And then the liberal media dared to use the title ‘Burmese Bin Laden’,” said U Wirathu in his letter.
While U Wirathu claims it is not his intention to “make people’s blood boil”, his 969 movement has been blamed for inciting anti-Muslim hatred during unrest over the last eight months.
The movement encourages Buddhist shoppers to boycott Muslim businesses, an act which U Wirathu claims is more about protecting Buddhist interests than marginalizing Muslims.
During riots in Lashio that saw Muslim mosques, schools and businesses burned, the 969 label was spray-painted throughout the area. U Wirathu claims that he cannot be blamed for the unrest because he has requested that the label not be used for violence.
Despite this, his sermons—which have been recorded on both video and audio and now circulate the country—have been blamed for the unrest.
“My preaching is not burning with hatred as you say,” U Wirathu says to Beech in his open letter. He goes on to say that he will “forgive the misunderstanding” if she is willing to do an about-face on the article.
While the TIME cover has been formally banned in-country and condemned by Myanmar’s President as “detrimental to peace efforts”, the article has gained support from others as an indicator that Myanmar is opening up to the liberal media following decades of censorship.
