A senior member of the Race and Religion Protection Committee (Ma Ba Tha) said he is resigning from the committee due to disagreement over the group’s support to a political party. U Pamaukkha, who is a member of the Central Executive Committee of Ma Ba Tha and the head of Magwe Monastery said he is resigning from the committee as he disagree over the group’s involvement in campaigning for a political party during the last November general elections. He said he joined the committee, as he was impressed with its policy and commitment to protect race and religion. But he said he was disillusioned after Ma Ba Tha leadership had persuaded, during the last general elections, to vote to the party majority of whose MPs voted to approve four race and religion laws and not to the candidates of the party whose MPs had voted against the laws. The four laws, which include ban on religious conversion, interfaith marriage and population control, were passed last year. Ma Ba Tha organized a series of rallies across the country to hail the adoption of the laws. According to U Pamauk Kha, Ma Ba Tha had persuaded voters during those rallies. He said he disagreed on the fact that the committee is being used for benefit of a political party. The monk said Ma Ba Tha should avoid such acts but the leadership of the group continue to work in favor of a political party. U Pamauk Kha said he had decided to resign based on his own judgement, he was not pressurized to do so by the Ma Ba Tha leaders. He said he would continue to work for nationalist cause despite of his resignation from Ma Ba Tha.