A website has been launched dedicated to Wirathu, a controversial Mandalay monk, and his hardline Buddhist monk group, Ma-Ba-Tha, dedicated to the primacy of all things Buddhist in Myanmar. Buddhist nationals could powerfully impact Myanmar’s November election. The site promotes principles of Buddhism but its main content so far is the republishing of reports and opinion pieces siding with the recent Race Protection laws which criticise any other faith group. As Myanmar’s election nears, mainstream political parties such as the NLD and the ruling Union Solidarity and Development Party have been careful not to distance themselves from the outspoken monk and his followers, such is their influence over Buddhist voters. President Thein Sein warned parties and citizens to maintain harmony and act responsibly during the campaign period, which begins next week, and he specifically urged politicians to ‘take great care to not cause damage to social harmony or harm our diverse religious beliefs’.