Khmer-Origin Bronze Statues at Mahamuni Buddha Temple in Mandalay Resemble “Rohingya,” Claims Diaspora Activist Wai Wai Nu

News January 20, 2026

Wai Wai Nu, a well-known diaspora activist of Chittagonian Muslim (Rohingya) origin and daughter of politician Kyaw Min, claimed on January 19, 2026, via social media that the Khmer-origin bronze statues at Mahamuni Buddha Temple in Mandalay resemble “Rohingya” people. She is the founder of the Women’s Peace Network and holds a Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the University of California, Berkeley (completed around 2018).

In her post, she referenced a book by her father titled Rohingya History: Reality, Devoid of Myth, and made the following claim:

“The Mahamuni Buddha was relocated to Amarapura by Bodawpaya in 1785 and remains there today. The two guardian statues that accompanied the Buddha are still positioned beside it. These statues resemble Rohingya features and do not look like Rakhine ones. Therefore, when the Mahamuni Buddha was cast in ancient times, the population of Rakhine State must have consisted solely of ancient Rohingya generations. The Rohingya are the original, indigenous inhabitants of Rakhine State.”

However, numerous primary sources and scholarly works establish that these statues are actually of Khmer (Cambodian) origin. They were originally taken from Angkor Wat in Cambodia by the Siamese (Thai) during their conquest in 1431. Later, after King Bayinnaung's annexation of Siam, they were brought to Bago (Pegu). When Min Razagyi (Razagri) of Arakan conquered Bago in 1599, the statues were taken to Mrauk U in Arakan. Finally, when the Burmese occupied Mrauk U in 1784–1785, they were transported to Amarapura and eventually to Mandalay.

Original Post of Wai Wai Nu

A scholar named Lynn Htet Swe critiqued her post in a humorous tone as follows:

“These large statues originally come from the Khmer Empire (present-day Cambodia). When the Thais conquered Cambodia, they took them to Ayutthaya. When the Burmese conquered Ayutthaya, King Bayinnaung brought them to Bago. During the reign of his son, King Nanda, the Rakhine forces raided and destroyed Bago, burning the Kamawza Thardin palace while taking the large bronze statues to Arakan, where they were placed at the Mahamuni Buddha. In 1784, when Bodawpaya conquered Arakan, these bronze statues were brought from Arakan to Amarapura and eventually to Mandalay. The Khmer are the original owners.

If these large bronze statues were Rohingya, does that mean the Rohingya founded the Khmer Empire? Could the Rohingya also have built the great Angkor Wat temple complex?”

Recent posts by Wai Wai Nu, a self-described educated activist, highlight a pattern of unsubstantiated claims spread by diaspora activists to less-informed foreigners regarding Burmese and Arakanese history.

Unfortunately, such assertions often result in embarrassment and reveal the motivations behind why some Rohingya scholar-activists appear desperate to construct fabricated identities and histories through illogical and unfounded arguments.