U Wasawa

U Wasawa (Burmese: ဦးဝါသဝ, also spelled U Warthawa), also known as 550 Sayadaw (Burmese: ၅၅၀ ဆရာတော်), is a Burmese ultranationalist monk and pro-military supporter who leads a Pyusawhti militia in Kanbalu. Local media have referred to him as a "Buddhist terrorist".^[1][2][3]

U Wasawa was born in Muukwa village, Taze, Myanmar.^[4] He is the abbot of the Tharthana Alinnyaung monastery in Hmaw Taw village^[5] and was a prominent former leader of the now defunct Ma Ba Tha, an extremist Buddhist organisation. Following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, U Wasawa established a Pyusawhti militia to launch offensives against the region's People's Defense Force. Several villages in Kantbalu have been turned into Pyusawhti bases, with U Warthawa reportedly forcing locals to join the militias. Initially armed with homemade weapons, around 900 Pyusawhti members in Kantbalu have since been supplied with modern BA-63 (G-3) rifles, MA-1 assault rifles, and carbines. His influence has spread to Kanbalu, Taze, and Kyunhla—key towns known for their military and Union Solidarity and Development Party support.^[6] He has since expanded his network throughout Sagaing, where there are now at least 77 pro-junta militia groups.^[1][7][8]

Following the fall of Lashio in August 2024, U Wasawa urged the military to bomb the northern part of Shan State, controlled by the Three Brotherhood Alliance, stating that it would be better if only the land remained.^[9] In a media interview, he called for the removal of villages that support the People's Defense Force (PDF) from the map of Myanmar.^[10] He ordered his forces to set fire to 10 villages in Khin-U, Sagaing Region, claiming that these villages were supporting the People's Defense Force (PDF).^[11][12]

In May 2024, U Warthawa was bestowed the title "Mingala Dhamma Jotikadhaja" by the Young Men's Buddhist Association (YMBA) in recognition of his dedicated service to the wellbeing of the patriarch and religious affairs.^[13]