The officially recognized monk supervisory committee, the State Sangha Mahanayaka Committee (SSMC), has criticized the Association of the Race and Religion Protection- more widely known with its Burmese acronym Ma Ba Tha. The 47 member plenary meeting of SSMC said Ma Ba Tha activities were against the rules prescribed for the monks. The ruling on the Ma Ba Tha was made in a statement issued on 12 July after an informal meeting of the SSMC ahead of its 11th plenary meeting. U Htun Nyunt, a Director at the Ministry of Religious Affairs said, “the monk committee has explicitly stated that Ma Ba Tha’s activities are against the guidelines prescribed for the monks, now it is up to the relevant authorities to make their rulings on Ma Ba Tha’s status under the 2008 Constitution and other existing laws. The monk will not do more deliberation on this issue”. The Religious and Cultural Affairs Minister Thura U Aung Ko said although some of the Ma Ba Tha members are well -respected monks among the public who are working in the interest of the people, but some of them are involved in spreading hate messages with an aim to trigger religious violence. Reference : The Standard Times, July 15, pg.1+2