The monk, who appeared in court on Tuesday in layman's clothes, has been charged over his role in an April 2016 protest outside the US Embassy that denounced the American government's use of the term 'Rohingya'. The monk was greeted by dozens of tearful supporters outside the Yangon court, where judges set the next hearing for November 21. "(I) am just protecting the sovereignty of the state," he told AFP before entering the courtroom. Alongside the better known ultra-nationalist monk Wirathu, Parmaukkha has been at the forefront of anti-Rohingya sentiment that has bubbled in mainly Buddhist Myanmar for years, often spilling into bouts of violence. And on Monday the military exonerated itself of any abuses in an internal probe that denied soldiers had attacked or raped civilians, among other allegations.

Source: The Nation Bangkok November 14, 2017 06:45 UTC