Before Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy routed all comers in Myanmar's elections last November, many speculated that even if her party was always going to win a free and fair vote, the extent of the victory could be curtailed by attempts by Buddhist hardliners to undermine the NLD by stirring up anti-Muslim sentiment among the majority Buddhist electorate.
Rabble rousers such as Wirathu -- a Mandalay-based monk known for his derogatory and xenophobic rhetoric about Myanmar's estimated 5 million Muslims -- opposed the prospect of a NLD-led government, saying that such an administration would not only favor Muslims but would bring "chaos" to Myanmar. (Courtesy of Nikkei Asian Review)
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