A Buddhist monk, U Thuzana, the Myaing Gyi Ngu Sayadaw, and 300 of his supporters built a pagoda on 1 May on the grounds of an Anglican church in eastern Myanmar’s Karen state, adding to religious tensions in the area, RFA reported on 4 May quoting a local Anglican bishop.
U Thuzana has embarked on a program of building pagodas—also called stupas—near churches and mosques in the state. The monk, who is spiritual adviser to an armed ethnic Karen group, The DKBA – Kyaw Htet faction, built his first pagoda on church property on April 23 despite objections by religious authorities.
He has also built pagodas on church compounds in Hpa-an township and near a mosque in Mya Pyi village, prompting many people to condemn his actions on social media, the report said.