The 969 and MaBaTha Extremist Monks held gatherings with Rakhine (Magh) Buddhist extremists in Maungdaw District in late November 2015, the reliable sources report. 

On November 22 evening, 10 Buddhist Monks, members of 969 Group of Extremist Monks and MaBaTha Extremist Group of Monks, arrived in Buthidaung Township, one of the two townships comprising in Maungdaw District and the another township being Maungdaw Township itself.

In Buthidaung at night, they held a gathering at a Rakhine residence in ‘Nyaung Chaung’ village with the Rakhine extremists from the village and its surrounding villages. And on 23rd November, they held a meeting with the Rakhine members of 969 extremist groups in the downtown of Buthidaung.

On 23rd November evening, they arrived in Maungdaw Township. On 24th November morning, they held a gathering with the members of 969 Group in Maungdaw, the Monks and the Rakhine extremists, at ‘Alludaw Bye’ Monastery in Myoma Kayintan (Shidda Fara).  In the evening, they gathered again the monastery at ‘Three-Mile-Area’ Maungdaw.

“Although we don’t know what they have discussed about, it is always an unwelcoming signs like Omen. They always hold gatherings to plot against Muslims. We are worried as well as on alert,” said an elderly Rohingya in Maungdaw.

The 969 Group is a group of extremist Monks and Buddhists in Myanmar led by Abbot U Wirathu labelled as the ‘Face of Buddhist Terror’ by TIME Magazine, whereas the MaBatha Group is another group of extremist monks under the banner of ‘Association for Protection of Race and Religion’ led by another high-profile extremist Buddhist Abbot known as ‘Sitagu Monk.