Video Emerges Showing Children Given Military-Style Training at Ashin Seikinda's Dhammaduta Youth School

Video emerges showing children being given military-style drills at Ashin Sekkinda's Dhammaduta Youth School

October 2

A video record has surfaced showing children of middle-school age, Grade 5 and Grade 6, being trained in military-style physical training (PT), military-style marching in formation, and saluting at the Dhammaduta Youth School, which was founded under the leadership of Dhammaduta Ashin Sekkinda.

According to the video record, the children are seen going beyond ordinary physical exercise, walking in formation in groups to the tune of the coup military's marching songs, performing military-style PT, and saluting in formation.

Ashin Sekkinda enjoyed widespread reverence and respect among the public before the coup, but after the coup, due to his close ties and dealings with the military junta, he has faced criticism within the religious community and among the public, and he is also someone who regularly attends religious ceremonies attended by coup military leader Min Aung Hlaing.

In addition, after the coup, he also faced criticism on social media over his taking of the position of rector of the International Theravada Buddhist Missionary University and over the content of his remarks at meetings with students and youths.

Now, questions and concerns have been emerging widely on social media as to whether the training of underage children in an educational institution in military-style marching, saluting, and drills — unlike ordinary sports — is instilling the coup military's militarism and military habits into children from a young age.

MyoTaw News Channel