Yangon: Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey on Wednesday defended a series of tweets about his recent meditation retreat in Myanmar that were pilloried on his own platform for failing to mention the persecution of Rohingya Muslims.
Dorsey's gushing thread on Sunday came after a 10-day silent Vipassana meditation retreat near Mandalay in which he praised the country's food, beauty and its people, whom he said were “full of joy”.
The comments drew heat online for leaving out any discussion of atrocities committed against Myanmar's Rohingya minority during a military crackdown last year that drove more than 720,000 people into Bangladesh camps. In a series of tweets, Dorsey defended his actions but conceded he could have handled the situation better.
“I'm aware of the human rights atrocities and suffering in Myanmar. I don't view visiting, practicing, or talking with the people, as endorsement,” he said. “I didn't intend to diminish by not raising the issue, but could have acknowledged that I don't know enough and need to learn more.”
Dorsey said he has been a long-time meditator and wanted to travel to Buddhist-majority Myanmar.
