All language subtitles for Le vénérable W. [VO](2017)

[light dramatic music]

[upbeat music]

[people laughing]

[singing in foreign language]

[bells ringing]
[light dramatic music]

I wrote two sermons
about the African catfish.

The main features
of the African catfish are that:

they grow very fast.

They breed very fast too.

And they're violent.

They eat their own species

and destroy their natural resources.

The Muslims are exactly
like these fish.

[spiritual music]

[water sloshing]

[muffled talking]

In our religion, the
Buddha is not a god.

He's a human being,
no more, no less.

We believe in karma
and resurrection.

Throughout their
lives and past lives,

the accumulation of karma
can help Buddhists

to become a Buddha themselves
and reach enlightenment.

[muffled talking]

For us monks, there are
only four material things:

the texts, the robe,
the monastery we belong to,

and the bowl in which
we receive arms of food,

providing karma to those
who give to us.

Buddhist men must
become monks at least

once in their lives.

They can choose for how long.

When you are a monk
you are considered

a sacred being
by ordinary people.

The Buddha is often
above good and evil,

[speaking
foreign language]

[birds chirping]

[broom scratching]

[birds chirping]

[birds chirping]

If children have a notion

of Buddhism,

they will practice it well
in the future.

They also have to know,
from their earliest days,

who the enemy is and where danger is.

This is why I teach
mostly to children.

[light music]
[muffled talking]

In the morning, I have the monks
recite the doctrine.

Then I write.

Then I give sermons.

Finally, I help people
who've been persecuted by Muslims.

[phone ringtone playing]

[speaking
foreign language]

[engine rumbling]

[dog barking]

[horns honking]

[singing in foreign language]

Learn the title of my sermon well:

"Believe in and love 969."

Repeat.

"Believe in and love 969."

969 is an organization protecting

race and religion,
without violence or aggression.

Do you agree?

Yes, we do.

Let's chant.

For race and religion.

For race and religion.

We must adopt 969

for peace to prevail.

Some businessmen

have long-established trades.

Among them,
a rich Muslim has a slogan:

"To destroy a race,
you need to use money."

What did he say?

"To destroy a race,
you need to use money."

The Muslim calls it
the "sex strategy".

He hires many young girls
to work for him.

So they can see each other
every day.

They have everything
a woman can desire.

Sex and desire.

And since they have both,

girls marry them.

When they're a couple,
they're given a flat.

They're manipulated by these men
and abandon their religion.

All these girls who work for them

and who marry them

abandon their religion.

That is the "sex strategy."

Does it work?

Yes, it does.

If we let them do so
on the pretext of human rights,

won't our race be destroyed?

Yes, it will.

And our religion?

Our religion too.

Will it disappear?

Yes, it will.

Don't we need a law?

Yes, we do.

That's it.

Tonight we were
astonished by the amount of money

and donations collected
at the end of the sermon.

[chanting in foreign language]

We consider 969 as the
cosmological opposite of 786,

that represents for
Muslims in the name of Allah,

the most clement and merciful.

The goal of 969
is to bring together

the Burmese Buddhists,
founders of the Burmese nation.

We, the Buddhists,
account for more than 90%

of Burma's population.

A country with some 135
ethnicities and four religions.

Did you know Muslims
represent just 4% of the population?

I was born in 1968

in Kyaukse, near Mandalay.

When I was in high school,
my father retired,

and we faced
financial difficulties.

We had to help him.
It was a difficult time for us.

[traffic humming]
[birds chirping]

My father would sell water in tanks,
riding from an oxcart,

and I had to walk behind him.

I became a monk at 17.

At first, I thought I'd remain a monk
for just a few months.

But when I learned the Dhamma
and practiced meditation,

I decided to continue.

My family was angry when I decided
to be a monk all my life.

My father banged his head
against the wall.

[engine rumbling]
[light dramatic music]

Near Kyaukse,
there's a Muslim village,

Lapang.

In all the nearby Burmese villages,

there had been cases of rape.

[light dramatic music]

A 14-year-old girl

was raped in the night.

She was tied naked to a tree.

She was only found in the morning.

I was 12.

When the authorities investigated,

all the Muslims from that village
shaved their heads

so as not to be recognized.

A popular belief says
if you're capable

of killing an animal,
then you can kill a man.

We, the Buddhists,
are opposed to animal sacrifice.

[light dramatic music]

[birds chirping]

My Master no longer lives
in the monastery where I studied.

He went on a meditation retreat
in the countryside.

I was 45 when I met Wirathu.

He was about 14.

This is how his mind is set.

He received the same education

as the other students.

He's brilliant

and shows vigor
in the study of Buddhism.

I've never trained him.

He's a natural.

[muffled talking]

In 1991, aged 23,

Wirathu goes to Mandalay

and settles at the
Ma Soe Yein monastery.

[horn honking]

He will always
stay in touch

with his former
monastery in Kyaukse.

[singing in
foreign language]

[water sloshing]

In Kyaukse, I didn't have to go out
for the food-offering ritual,

so I had plenty of time to study.

But in Mandalay,

I had to go out every morning
with my begging bowl.

It was hard to get a good meal.

In Kyaukse,
we helped each other

when we had difficulties
or fell ill.

But in Mandalay,
when I'd fall ill,

I was alone
and had to take care of myself.

[water sloshing]

Eight years later,

I became a member
of the monastic council.

That same year,
I wrote a book about meditation

that was banned by censorship.

The monk at the censorship office
was close to the military.

[ominous music]

At the time,
almost all the Masters

were revered
by the military in power.

This censor monk was not pleased
because I'd criticized his Masters.

So I had the book
published illegally.

I used the pen name
"Wirathu - Ma Soe Yein".

Since the book was a success,
I became "Wirathu - Ma Soe Yein."

The Battle of Theravada.

Those who've read it
still respect me.

The idea of the book
came to me in 1993.

I'd watched a video

about the meditation technique
of the Tant Kyi Taung monastery.

So I looked into the Buddhist canon

to see if the monk was speaking
according to scriptures.

[man coughing]

The Master of Tant Kyi Taung
was wrong

about how to breathe in meditation.

When you inhale, you feel the air
touching your nasal cavity.

And when you exhale,

you feel the air touching the tip
of your upper lip.

What you need to do in meditation

is to focus
on the contact of the air.

But the Master of Tant Kyi Taung said

you needed to breathe heavily,

like a cow,
making noise.

[woman sobbing]

[whistling]

Some roar like tigers,

some scratch

like monkeys,

some slither like snakes,

and some cluck like hens.

[heavy breathing]

[thudding]

That monk went to the United States

to teach his method.

I don't like that.

He didn't limit himself
to our country.

Foreigners might think
that this is Buddhism,

but that's not true.

His monastery has a branch
in Los Angeles, called Azusa.

When the book was published,

the monk from Tant Kyi Taung
sued me,

but the other monks supported me.

[light dramatic music]

Demonstrations of Buddhist monks...

... mosque burnt down...

... Buddhist girl raped...

... 100 monks jailed...

I only heard

of the Muslims' intentions
in 1997.

Before that, our eyes were closed,

but in 1997,
we finally opened them.

Wirathu discovers an
important book for him.

"In Fear of our
Race Disappearing".

Those were typewritten
and xeroxed pages,

so they became less readable
over time.

I read it in 1997.

This book has always been
banned by the military,

except when it served
their interests.

[leaves rustling]
[birds chirping]

At the time, my fellow monks

from other monasteries
in Mandalay and I

were still young Masters.

We'd taken the bus no. 8
to go to the cemetery.

It was around 8 pm.

We'd perched on stools

to make our speeches.

They didn't have a mic.

Having no mic, they had to shout.

A young woman and a kalar
were on a date.

So they beat up the kalar.
I was quite pleased.

His code name
was "Myo Chit Thu," the patriot.

To hide,

they'd put the monk's robe
on their heads

and wear dark glasses.

And they'd go by code names.

We did that to hide our identity
from secret service.

Had they known who we were,

they'd have informed
our Great Masters in the monasteries,

and we'd have faced dismissal.

Wirathu told people
not to buy from Muslim shops

or to sell property to Muslims,

even at a very good price, etc.

His words could incite hatred.

That's why the government
banned him from sermons.

The noise of the applause

could reach the sky.

At the time,
people were afraid to clap.

Despite that,
some monks had dared to clap,

and all the country
had shown interest in us.

This is how
the nationalist ideas spread.

Every summer, he would go
to Kyangin to teach.

After giving two sermons,

he found out the authorities
were planning to arrest him,

and secret service did come
to question him.

So he stopped giving sermons
and went back to Mandalay.

These two sermons
had been recorded.

The monks made copies

and handed them out widely.

In Mandalay,

when he arrived,
the cassettes were already there.

That's how everybody got to know him.

When he became one of the heads
of the Ma Soe Yein monastery,

the Great Masters no longer
prevented him from giving sermons.

Someone told me this book,

"In Fear of our
Race Disappearing"

has inspired all the
nationalist pamphlets

and anti-Muslim
tracks in our country.

At the start of 2003, even
though they were banned,

these were openly distributed
in the markets of Kyaukse.

Protecting race and religion
is not an easy task.

It breaks my heart.
Where are we Burmese going?

The threat against Buddhism
has reached alert level.

In the end,
there are less and less Buddhists

and more and more kalars.

What's the government doing?

Nothing!

[people clapping]

Besides, the Muslims
live in our country,

they're well-established,

they live on our land,

they use our resources,

and they have
all the rights they want.

You'd think they'd be happy, right?

That's not enough for them.

They insult and attack

our religion.

I can't stand what they do to us.
What about you, Venerables?

No!

So, listen to me carefully.

In a few days,
I will make a decision.

As soon as I give the signal,
get ready to follow me.

[people clapping]

Meanwhile,
I need to plan the operation well,

like the CIA or the Mossad,

for it to be effective.

So our action will be successful.

The 1997 riots in Mandalay
had no leader.

That's why we failed.

This time, I am the leader!

I will make sure the kalars
have nothing left to eat.

[people whistling and clapping]

And I will make sure
they have no place to live.

[fire roaring]

[speaking
foreign language]

It all started
on October 19, 2003 at 5:30 pm.

Around 11 pm, it was over.

Muslim houses were burnt down.

Muslims died.

A monk was riding a motorbike
through the village of Lapang

on his way to a religious festival.

The Muslims of Lapang
went out and killed him.

If this monk hadn't
been murdered,

I wouldn't have been arrested.

A dead monk was a serious matter.

They feared
the whole country would rise up.

They arrested us to prevent

a great movement
throughout the country.

The international community,
the UN and Muslim countries

put pressure on the government.

The military got scared.
They imprisoned people randomly.

They arrested me and accused me

of inciting and orchestrating
these conflicts.

He went to prison

because of me.

The same time I did.

In prison, it was a Muslim

who cooked for Wirathu.

He'd ask him what he wanted

then ask the guards
for the ingredients and cook.

Being a Muslim, he didn't know
about the alms-giving ritual,

so other people
would offer food to Wirathu.

[speaking foreign language]

This Muslim told me

he had a friendly relationship
with Wirathu.

They had fun conversations

and talked about everything

but religion.

They say prison is
"the university of life."

You can learn a lot,

there are many subjects.

In prison, I practiced meditation
for 99 months.

My serenity comes from the
concentration I acquired there.

[singing in foreign language]

Another book I wrote
was translated into English.

Its title is:
The Culprits of History.

I wrote it in prison.

I wrote about the behavior
of the Monks' Council

and their corruption.

Basically, I was pointing out
that this Monks' Council

was the armed wing
of the military government.

[military music]

I was the one who started
the 2007 "Saffron Revolution."

It was thanks to a report
I wrote in prison

that the revolution started.

No.

The 2007 "Saffron Revolution"
was not started by one single person.

And it was not done
by one single person.

All the religious body had worked

to free the whole country.

Among the leaders,

there were five monks,

myself included.

[people clapping]
[people chanting]

It was because
of the high cost of living.

People couldn't get by.

We, the monks, knew
it was the government's fault.

We decided to chant
the Metta Sutta outside.

[singing in foreign language]

We marched to the house
of Aung San Suu Kyi.

We took the authorities by surprise.

We entered the area easily

before they blocked the road.

[singing in foreign language]

We were sad to see her
under house arrest,

but glad to see her.

She too had a chance
to pay tribute to us.

We were able to recite
the Metta Sutta.

[guns shooting]

[smoke hissing]

[people chanting
in foreign language]

[muffled talking]

[speaking
foreign language]

The government
attacked the monasteries.

It was the first time in history

that the government
attacked the monks,

even though
we had marched peacefully.

We knew that outside,
the Revolution had started.

We were given news
by those who visited the prisoners.

We were really happy.

People told me it was happening
according to the report I'd written.

They had a lot of respect for me.

A man close to power came to see me.

He asked me
to write the monks a letter

to tell them to stop demonstrating.

Even if he'd promised to release me,

I'd never have written it,
I'd never have accepted.

[light dramatic music]

[clapping]

My dear fellow monks,

I'm glad you came

to greet me.

Thank you for your warm welcome.

So, which do you prefer?

A yellow speech,
a monk's speech,

or a bright red speech,
a brave speech?

A bright red speech!

Alright.

For Theravada Buddhism,

the new Ma Soe Yein monastery

must be a rampart.

It must be an army
begetting soldiers

who fight in the front line.

We monks

always open the eyes of the people.

In Burmese politics,

the monks have always led the way.

To show our greatness,

we will write a new chapter.

[muffled talking]

[speaking
foreign language]

When I was released from prison,

the 969 Movement
really got off the ground.

[light dramatic music]

I planned the stickers' project
alone, in prison.

It took me 8 years.

Seeing these stickers,
they think of the Buddha.

To me, these stickers
look more like a boycott

of Muslim businesses.

The Muslims own a lot of businesses.

Big companies such as Motherland,

Naing Group,
Shine Group,

control
the large construction markets.

All Muslims.

This is why we give instructions

not to buy from Muslims,

because, with the money they earn,

they can marry Burmese girls
and invade the whole country.

[light dramatic music]

One of the central claims
of extremist monks in Myanmar

has been
that the Muslim population

is expanding
exponentially and growing

in all corners of the country.

And of course, the data
didn't support that notion at all.

[light dramatic music]

From the
British colonization to 2012,

all who have ruled our country
were evil.

They didn't deal
with national security.

This is why over a million Bengalis

have crossed our borders illegally.

They want to take over Rakhine.

[light dramatic music]

It broke out on June 8, 2012.

[engine rumbling]
[muffled yelling]

The Muslim leader.

[horns honking]

Those Muslims
just came out of the mosque.

Look, they're carrying rocks!

And picks!

A Buddhist was filming this.

He filmed from his window.

The kalars noticed him
and threw rocks at him.

[glass shattering]

He kept filming all the same.

So the kalars broke the door open
and went in.

Then he fled with his wife.

They set his house on fire.

I arrived later.

He gave me those videos.

[fire sizzling]

[metal clanking]

[speaking
foreign language]

When we arrived,
there was still smoke.

The Muslims burned eight villages
in one day.

I went around to see the places
where there had been fires.

I realized it was
even more serious than I'd imagined.

It left me deeply affected.

Yeah, in Maungdaw township,
the wave of violence

started with the rape and murder
of a Buddhist woman

by Rohingya Muslims.

And then there were 10 Muslim
travelers who were killed

by local Buddhists.

June 03, 2012.

June, 03 June, 2012.

There was some pilgrims
from Rangoon.

They are coming
there, in Toungup.

They are attacked by the mob
and they're brutally killed,

bitten their heads
and all 10 people are dead.

[yelling in foreign language]

The riot started
from Maungdaw mosque,

but in Sittwe, the Buddhists
were the ones who started it.

[fire hissing]

[kid sobbing]

[muffled talking]

These Rohingyas
abandoning their homes

are the first to end
up in numerous camps.

The majority
are still there today.

They have been joined
by another 140,000.

[singing in foreign language]

When the riots broke out,
I went to film them,

then I distributed the DVDs widely.

People became aware
of the situation

and that they had
to protect our religion.

This is how
the 969 Movement blossomed.

To President Thein Sein...

Good health!

To President Thein Sein...

Good health!

To President Thein Sein...

Good health!

To President Thein Sein...

Good health!

- May our country...
- Be protected!

Let's protect our country!

[clapping]

The Buddha himself
did politics for peace.

Let me be clear:
the Buddhist doctrine

doesn't say that monks
shouldn't do politics.

- Rohingyas...
- We don't want them!

- Rohingyas...
- We don't want them!

- Rohingyas...
- We don't want them!

Sons and daughters
of Arakan,

you must
completely refrain

from buying or
selling to kalars.

You must also stop all
communication with kalars.

I recall sitting
and talking with a young monk

in Rakhine state in 2012.

He was writing
the very first pamphlet

calling upon the population
to economically,

politically, socially
exclude Muslims

and he told us that
the Muslims posed

a threat to his culture,
he told us that

the Muslims posed
a threat to his country,

and that he felt as though
all of the Muslims

in Rakhine state
were essentially terrorists

or members of terrorist
organizations.

When there are too many Muslims,

there will be trouble and jihads.

We're taking steps as of now
to prevent it happening.

[chanting in foreign language]

We can live with
many kinds of people,

with everybody
from all over the world,

but the Muslim people
from here are like animal.

They are trying to be violent,

they are trying to attack.

The first wave of violence
we were documenting

how Buddhist communities
throughout Rakhine state

were essentially
organizing themselves,

so over several months
they're having these large

town square style meetings.

In Rathedaung township

a huge number of people got
together and they were essentially

setting forth a platform
for ethnic cleansing.

[light dramatic music]

We call for the creation
of monks militias

in the villages so as to
ensure security and discipline.

We demand the sympathizers
of the Bengali kalar

be considered traitors
to the nation

and their identities
posted in each village.

We support the request
by President Utensine

asking the United Nations
to take care of the Bengali

on Burmese soil
until another country accepts them.

We were trying to raise
alarm bells at the time.

We were trying to meet with
the diplomatic community,

UN offices and others,
speaking with the news media

that there would be
a significant event

and that we were very concerned
there'd be more violence

and sure enough in October 2012

another much more coordinated
wave of violence struck.

This time it was violence
in 14 of 17 townships

in Rakhine state.

[fire sizzling]
[speaking foreign language]

At the Rathedaung meeting

a decision was taken
to displace the Rohingya village

away from the main roads.

[speaking foreign language]

Essentially
what was happening was

communities
were coming in,

setting fire to Muslim homes,

and then when Muslims,
Rohingya in most cases,

would attempt
to put those fires out,

police and other
state security forces

essentially stood by
and watched it happen.

[speaking foreign language]
[fire sizzling]

[muffled yelling]

The Rakhine community
have all power,

all institution holding
by the Rakhine people.

There's a lot of Rohingya
people mowed over.

[engine rumbling]

[engine rumbling]

[yelling in foreign language]
[metal clanging]

[glass shattering]

Muslims live in small houses.

When their houses burn down,
they can get bigger ones.

They burn their own houses
to get international help.

Oh yeah, I mean, this is,
I think one of the most

profound things about people

alleging that Rohingya
are burning down their own homes

is that many cases
they actually believe it.

It's not just,
it's not just a rhetoric

that they're pronouncing
or spreading.

In many cases
people are told this

and they genuinely believe it.

The second wave
of violence struck,

it resulted in now more
than 140,000 people

confined into more than
40 internment camps.

Before 1962,
we had a voting right.

Some people from Rohingya,

there are also people elected
as a parliament career.

And then we have a bunch
opportunities for jobs,

our people served
in the military,

served in the police department,
medicine department,

the teachers and the doctors.

We were also part
of the government services.

Whatever we are,
first off we are human being.

It is the responsibility
of the national government,

they have a responsibility
to protect people's rights.

There never was a Rohingya
ethnic group in history.

[light dramatic music]

The Rohingyas invented their name

to conceal their Bengali identity.

Arakan is falling apart.

Almost 200,000 Burmese refugees

have crossed the river
between the two countries.

They're from the Rohingya
ethnic minority,

numbering almost
a million and a half inhabitants.

Things started to go awry
last February,

when the Burmese launched in Arakan,

on the pretext
of a citizenship check,

the Dragon Operation.

The Rohingyas soon realized they were
the only target of the operation.

Is the Dragon Operation
officially run?

Yes, it's officially run

by the Burmese police, army,
and immigration services.

Sometimes they get help
from the Mogs, the non-Muslims.

Have you seen
some torture and brutalities?

Yes, I've seen a lot.

First, they raped all the women:
young ladies, old ladies,

our sisters, our mothers.

My sister was raped
by Burmese soldiers.

In this camp, there are
so many girls who were raped.

It's like the Nazis and Hitler.

Do you know the Nazis and Hitler
in Germany?

They torture Rohingyas
like the Nazis did.

In the camps,

the refugees gather five times a day
for prayer.

At least they can pray in peace,

since Bangladesh is the most
religious State in the Muslim world.

How could
one of the world's poorest countries

welcome thousands
of famished people?

Bangladesh demands

that they be repatriated
as fast as possible to Burma.

What will the Burmese answer be?

It will be negative,

if the refugees who claim
oil was found in Arakan

told the truth.

That would explain this genocide,

beyond the religious rivalry
between Buddhists and Muslims.

If the oil deposits in Kyauktaw

and Rathedaung townships

are really there
and as important as claimed,

the Burmese
are deporting the Muslims,

still the majority in Arakan,

to take permanent control
over the region,

now strategically important
to the country's economy.

That time Ziaur Rahman
was president of Bangladesh

and he called up
Myanmar government

to take the people
back to the country.

This was, a kind of, you know,

a setback for the government
because they cannot

accomplish their policy
and then they told,

because those
people were carrying

that national
identification card

so there's the reason they
had to take back those people

so and then introduce
1982 citizenship law

because they want people
to be excluded from the citizensy.

What's curious
about the citizenship law

is that it states
that the government may decide

which races are Burmese
and which aren't.

I remember a discussion
with an Arakanese nationalist leader.

He told me:

"We cannot exterminate the Bengalis,"

as he called the Rohingyas.

"We cannot exterminate
nor deport them.

"There are too many of them.

"But neither can we live with them."

[light dramatic music]

[speaking foreign language]

[singing in foreign language]

[water splashing]

In fact,

their mosques are not places
of worship like our monasteries.

They are military bases
meant to plan attacks

against non-Muslims.

I have seen through
the Muslims' intent,

which is to convert
the whole world to Islam.

In fact, you can see on YouTube

that when ISIS members
behead a Christian,

they raise a finger,

which means: there must be
only one God in the world.

[door squeaking]

The fact that Muslims

immigrate and settle
in European countries

means they're invading the world.

Leaders like Merkel and her kind
welcome them

without regard
for the people's opinion.

In the USA,

if the people

want to maintain peace and security,

they have to choose Donald Trump.

[singing in foreign language]

Once they had spread the idea

that the Rohingyas were
the enemies of the Burmese nation,

it was easy to extend that definition

to all Burmese Muslims
as enemies.

[light dramatic music]

The army was quick
to take up this idea

of creating an enemy.

And... surprise, surprise!

The ideas of this famous book

continued to make their way.

In Burmese, the word for race
derives from a Pali word, kula.

Now kula is often associated
with another word, rakhita,

meaning "protection."

The word kula rakhita
becomes myo chit, "patriotism."

But what the Buddha meant

wasn't
that each must protect their own race.

When the Buddha speaks
of protecting the race,

it means protecting all of humanity.

[light dramatic music]

[speaking
foreign language]

[muffled talking]
[upbeat music]

[singing in foreign language]

Between two merchants,

a Burmese and a kalar,
who should one buy from?

The Burmese one.

Between a Buddhist and a Muslim,
whom should one prefer?

The Buddhist.

When I am no longer living,

around 2100,

White territory
will become Black territory,

and our religion shall be dominated

by the religion of black flags.

When I arrived in Meiktila,
I was told this:

a Muslim,
the owner of the NLD office,

is forbidding people
to hold a prayer meeting.

Let's suppose he should become
a political leader,

a national leader,

or a member of Parliament...

Think about it.

This is very serious.

The more you think,
the scarier it gets.

After the sermon in Meiktila,
a city 30% Muslim,

pamphlets started
to appear on the markets.

Addressed to the head Monk

of the town of Meiktila.

We write to inform you
about Burmese Buddhists

who are living in terror.

Some kalars using Saudi
Arabian money intended

for mosques are buying
with incredible sums of money,

under Burmese names,
land, farms, and houses

in and out of the city.

[speaking foreign language]

We are terrified when we see
a large group of kalars

going to the mosque every day.

We would therefore like
to appeal to the monks

for help to stop corruption.

Signed, Buddhists who feel
abandoned, city of Meiktila.

[fire crackling]

Note, this letter is not intended
to create riots

or political instability,

it is distributed so that
the love of the nation

and the religion
may live for a long time.

[speaking foreign language]
[glass shattering]

[people clapping]

Move back.

Get away.

Put your club down!

Put your club down!

The riot started as a mere quarrel
in a Muslim jewelry store

when a Buddhist lady
came in to sell a gold bracelet.

I heard that people
were ransacking the jewelry store.

So I looked for someone I knew
amid the crowd.

I asked whether monks were around,
I was told there were.

I spoke with a monk on the phone.

Those monks were preventing people
from destroying everything.

But there was such a crowd

that nobody heard us.

Wreck everything!

Stop exciting them.

[phone ringing]
[people yelling]

[speaking foreign language]
[whistle blowing]

[thudding]

[metal clashing]

[people cheering]

[metal clanging]

It's pretty bad.

Let him die.

[fire roaring]

[people yelling]

[fire sizzling]

[engine rumbling]

[people cheering]

[fire sizzling]

[engine rumbling]

[horns honking]

[speaking
foreign language]

[light music]

I'm asking you to cooperate

to prevent these clashes
from spreading

and protect the people of Meiktila.

I hope you will all help us.

We'll get together

and create an association
to protect race and religion.

It will include civil servants,
monks and inhabitants.

We shall protect the life

and goods of the
people of Meiktila.

[engine rumbling]

[fire sizzling]

[horns honking]

[speaking
foreign language]

Did the attackers
come from your neighborhood?

They did.

There were neighbors.
They were Buddhists.

When we were hiding in the ditch,

they came over,
they were shouting slogans.

"We are the masters,
we the Burmese,

"let's wipe out the Muslims."

They had clubs and swords

and were cutting everyone
who was in their way.

There are no Muslims left
in Meiktila?

No.

[fire sizzling]

[light dramatic music]

[fire sizzling]

[water sloshing]
[speaking foreign language]

[dramatic music]

What we're doing
has nothing to do with W.

We don't say the same thing,
we don't act like him.

The Buddha says one must
observe and analyze the word.

He says one shouldn't always
believe his sermons.

Not because he gave them
should one believe in them.

Not because he is the Master
should one believe him,

but on the contrary,

one should experience his words
before accepting them.

[light dramatic music]

A few months
after Meiktila

and the string of riots
that followed,

the State Sangha,
the council of 52 monks,

voted to ban the 969 Movement

and the use of the Buddhist flag

as a background for its symbol.

Immediately, Wirathu set
up a new organization,

Ma Ba Tha,

an association for
race and religion.

Without an organization,

a worked-up crowd
can get out of control.

Things can get explosive.

Ma Ba Tha intervenes
when kalars harass Buddhists.

Once the problem's solved
and the kalars punished,

the crowd will calm down.

That's the role of Ma Ba Tha.

969 had no structure,
it was just a movement.

There were no appointed leaders,
no regulations,

while Ma Ba Tha is a well-structured
organization with leaders,

central committees,

regional committees.

Ten monks,

some of them monk-counsellors,

and 15 lay people, work here.

Some film the events,

some distribute the DVDs.

We don't market our video reports.

Regarding videos about jihad,

we believe that everybody
should be informed.

So we offer the DVDs.

[dramatic music]

The video's title is The Black Days.

[phone beeping]

One of my pupils directed it.

We reenacted

and filmed the life
of that Rakhine girl

before she was murdered.

It was shot exactly

according to the confessions
of the three Muslim murderers.

[upbeat music]
[singing in foreign language]

They raped her,

they slit her throat,

then they cut her ears off
to take her earrings and jewels.

[man chuckles]

We haven't released
The Black Days yet.

We are completing
the editing and subtitling.

English subtitles.

Master Wirathu owns the rights.

[broom scratching]

[light dramatic music]

And so here we are in the media

and communication
headquarters of the venerable.

His different websites
are updated daily

by Wirathu himself.

On social networks,

Wirathu has millions of followers.

People post news about him,

real or fake.

[light dramatic music]

These pictures are for fun.

That's no problem.

As for fake news on blogs,

that is a problem,

because people in the country
really believe in them and may react.

[mouse clicking]

The rape of Mi Sho Soo
on the 28th of June 2014

by the bosses of Cafeson
is not only

a criminal offense,
but it is also intended

to spark violence
in our country.

Nobody checked this information.

It was false.

Too late.

[people yelling]

The violence began almost
immediately the next day.

No organization, no NGO,

has been able to intervene
to stop them.

Security forces
didn't dare to take action.

They stood idly by.

We went there
to control the situation.

The 200 of us stayed for two nights,
protecting people.

All of you, calm down.
Be peaceful.

I don't know what happened.

I accept what you're saying.

But we have to be sure.

This is our home.

They show up and insult us.

There were no big problems.

It happened downtown.

Still, it left one dead on each side.

Whenever there are clashes,

we're trying
to prevent them from spreading.

We go to the mosques to talk.

According to Buddhism,
we should go the gentle way.

The moment there is violence,
Buddhism is destroyed.

[engine rumbling]

[upbeat music]

[singing in foreign language]

Wirathu was giving many speeches

to get the Race and Religion
Protection Laws passed.

This huge display of means

shows that a lot of money was spent.

Where did it come from?
Nobody knows.

Probably from the cronies,

a group of millionaires

who maneuver around military circles
to get contracts, etc.

[light music]

Because of their trickery,
innocent girls get in trouble.

- Don't they?
- They do.

When these laws are enforced,

Muslims won't be able to claim
they're Burmese and take our girls.

We managed to get these laws passed.

If a Muslim wants
to marry a Buddhist woman,

he mustn't convert her to Islam.
If he does, he goes to jail.

Also, for a Muslim, one wife only.

No polygamy.

Or he goes to jail.

For Muslims, not many children.

One every three years, no more.

We got these laws passed.

Now we feel relieved
for the future of our country.

[upbeat music]

[cameras clicking]
[muffled talking]

These bills could be viewed
as one of the indicators

of backtracking in the
political reform process.

Are the UN entitled
to control our country's authority?

Yes or no?

No!

We are the ones who create
our country's destiny.

Yes!

We're not giving
that power to the kalars.

No!

Nor to the Chinese.

No!

To the British?

No!

To the Americans?

No!

- Are we accepting this situation?
- No!

Without having studied anything,

that wretched woman claims
we don't respect human rights.

Is she honest?

No!

You think you're important?

In our country, you're just a whore.

You can sell your ass to the kalars,

but you won't sell off our Arakan.

After such a speech,
we, the other Buddhists,

could have set in motion
a trial against Wirathu

and jailed him
for inciting hatred.

But before that,
Ma Ba Tha had to be silenced.

This was done.

On the 31st of August
2016 in the capital

we began negotiations
with the leaders

of all ethnic insurgencies
to obtain a stable peace.

This is a unique opportunity

to achieve a historic project.

[people clapping]

Let's hope that the military,
with whom she's sharing power,

are still with us.

Too late.

On the 8th of
October 2016,

the Rohingyas finally declared
an insurgency.

There is nothing
to stop the military

from doing what they
have always done.

[people screaming]
[booming]

[muffled talking]

[smacking]

And the army's 1978
Operation Dragon

is repeating itself.

This time, having repercussions
outside our borders.

[speaking foreign language]

[people cheering]

Hatred will never
put an end to hatred,

only love can do that.

This is the ancient
and eternal law.

[light music]