Buddhist/muslim mobs torch homes in Myanmar
Ethnic Rohingyas flee to Bangladesh only to be turned back
SITTWE, Myanmar — Northwest Myanmar was tense on Monday after sectarian violence engulfed its biggest city on the weekend, with rival mobs of Muslims and Buddhists torching houses, police firing into the air and Muslims fleeing by boat to neighbouring Bangladesh.
At least eight people were killed and many wounded, authorities say, in the worst violence since a reformist government replaced the junta last year and vowed to forge unity in the ethnically diverse country.
The fighting erupted on Friday in the Rakhine State town of Maungdaw, but quickly spread to the capital Sittwe and nearby villages. The UN said on Monday it had started evacuating staff from the area after the government announced a state of emergency and curfews.
Plumes of black smoke were seen over parts of Sittwe, where Buddhists and Muslims have long lived in uneasy proximity. Some Buddhists were seen carrying bamboo stakes, machetes, sling shots and other makeshift weapons after Muslims were seen setting alight houses.
“We have now ordered troops to protect the airport and the Rakhine villages under attack in Sittwe,” Zaw Htay, director of the President’s Office, said. “Arrangements are underway to impose a curfew in some other towns.”
The unrest undermines the image of unity and stability that helped persuade the U.S. and Europe to suspend sanctions this year, while increasing curfews could threaten tourism and foreign investment.
It might also force President Thein Sein to confront an issue that human rights groups have criticized for years: The plight of thousands of stateless Rohingya Muslims who live along Myanmar’s border in abject conditions and are despised by many ethnic Rakhine, members of Myanmar’s Buddhist majority.
About 100 Rohingyas tried to flee the violence by boat into Bangladesh but were pushed back on Monday morning, said a Bangladesh border commander.
“We have stepped up vigilance and will stop anyone trying to come across the border,” he said.
That followed boats carrying about 200 Rohingyas who were pushed back out to sea on Sunday, said Anwar Hossain, a major with Bangladesh’s border guard.