Monk Arrested for Smuggling Rohingya in Buddhist Robes

Irrawaddy, Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Rangoon, Burma -- A Burmese monk has been arrested for allegedly attempting to smuggle a group of Rohingya Muslims disguised in Buddhist robes from western Arakan State to Rangoon, Radio Free Asia reported on Monday.

Stealing a generation: Cambodia's unfolding tragedy

by Lindsay Murdoch, The Age, April 7, 2013

Orphanages are often run as businesses, the children being the assets.

Siem Reap, Cambodia -- Dozens of orphanages in Cambodia, including some run by Australians, have been accused of exploiting children to attract donations.

Who can stem the tide of Buddhist supremacy in Myanmar?

by Myat Thu Pan, Mizzima, 1 April 2013

Yangon, Myanmar -- The recent communal violence between Buddhists and Muslims in central Myanmar seems to be a result of the conflict which took place in Rakhine State last year.

Fanatical Buddhist Monk Saydaw Wirathu Calling for Boycott of Myanmar Muslims

By Gianluca Mezzofiore, IB Times, March 26, 2013

Yangon, Myanmar -- Buddhist Monk Saydaw Wirathu, the self-styled "Burmese bin Laden", has called for a national boycott of Muslim businesses in Myanmar in a controversial video that emerged on YouTube.

Crushing royal critics feels so un-Buddhist

by Sanitsuda Ekachai, The Bangkok Post, 20 Mar 2013

Bangkok, Thailand -- A decade or so ago, an official letter of warning from the Police Special Branch Division landed on my desk. It was about an article by a physician-turned-monk entitled "How the Buddha died" in the former Outlook section I was working on back then.

Armed Buddhists, including monks, clash with Muslims in Myanmar

By Phyo Wai Lin. Jethro Mullen and Kocha Olarn, CNN, March 23, 2013

Yangon, Myanmar -- Buddhist monks and others armed with swords and machetes Friday stalked the streets of a city in central Myanmar, where sectarian violence that has left about 20 people dead has begun to spread to other areas, according to local officials.

Samadhi Vihara opens in the capital of Selangor

The Buddhist Channel, March 20, 2013

Opening made in conjunction of the Buddhist Missionary Society of Malaysia's (BMSM) 50th anniversary.

Shah Alam, Selangor (Malaysia) -- The traditional Malay gong was hit three times by VIPs, an occasion witnessed by a host of monks, and a 200 strong audience. They had gathered inside the lotus sculptured hall, and together rejoiced at the official opening of the Samadhi Vihara in Bukit Raja, Shah Alam, Selangor.

Thai Buddhist leaders pray for poached elephants, call for end to ivory use

WWF, 9 March 2013

Bangkok, Thailand -- As world governments meet here to discuss global wildlife trade, revered Thai Buddhist leaders today held the first-ever Buddhist merit-making ceremony to pray for the tens of thousands of elephants poached annually. They also called on their congregations and other temples to reject the use and trade of ivory.

Buddhist monks say words against the Letpadaungtaung final report

ElevenMyanmar.com, 14 March 2013

Yangon, Myanmar -- Buddhist monks injured in the violent crackdown at the Letpadaungtaung copper mine protest expressed their disagreement over an official report that suggested that the project to continue.

Celebrating Buddhist culture

VietNamNet Bridge, Feb 26, 2013

Hanoi, Vietnam -- Much of Viet Nam’s most famous, traditional and valued cultural heritage has been provided or inspired by Buddhism, a religion which has for centuries been deeply embedded in the national psyche.