U Thuzana

Thuzana (; ), also known as the Myainggyi-ngu Sayadaw (; 1947 – 18 October 2018), was a Karen Theravada Buddhist monk based in Myaing Gyi Ngu, Kayin State, Myanmar. He was the leader of the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), an ethnic insurgent group, until its dissolution in 2010.

Career Thuzana was responsible for a 1992 campaign of constructing pagodas in Kayin State and held the title Myaing Gyi Ngu Sayadaw. Thuzana owned a large piece of land in the Myaing Gyi Ngu area and offered it to the IDPs to build houses there. Myaing Gyi Ngu began as a small IDP village, but later expanded to become a town.

Thuzana was formerly a member of the Karen National Union (KNU) until his disagreements with the majority Christian leadership led him to split and create the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA) in 1994. Until his death, he wielded considerable influence over the DKBA as well as the Border Guard Force (BGF) it later became.

Construction of Buddhist buildings Thuzana and his followers drew criticism for their ethno-nationalist views

Thuzana sponsored the construction of hundreds of small pagodas along the roads between Myaing Gyi Ngu and the nearby Myanmar–Thailand border. He even had pagodas built on the banks of the Salween River at the border. In his mission to spread Buddhism to all people living in mountainous areas, he also built a monastery in Kayah State.