Violence in Myanmar escalates
- 12 years ago
Violence engulfs northwestern Myanmar.
Muslim and Buddhist residents clashed over the weekend, leaving Muslim homes torched and fueling tensions along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border.
Some of the fighting has been deadly, with eight people killed in the sectarian violence on Friday.
In response, the government declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew in the area.
Authorities and villagers blame the violence on the Rohingya Muslim minority, who live in poverty and are not recognised as citizens by the Burmese government.
(SOUNDBITE) (Rakhine) UNNAMED RAKHINE WOMAN SAYING:
"There are lots of Rohingyas and they shouted intimidation and threatened to kill us. They were very close to our village. I saw them with my own eyes, they arrested a Rakhine from the 17th quarter of the village. They don't care about our appeals. I am very afraid and I ran away. I am here to tell what happened to us."
This is the worst communal violence in the country since the military junta began democratic reform a year ago.
Jessica Gray, Reuters
Muslim and Buddhist residents clashed over the weekend, leaving Muslim homes torched and fueling tensions along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border.
Some of the fighting has been deadly, with eight people killed in the sectarian violence on Friday.
In response, the government declared a state of emergency and imposed a curfew in the area.
Authorities and villagers blame the violence on the Rohingya Muslim minority, who live in poverty and are not recognised as citizens by the Burmese government.
(SOUNDBITE) (Rakhine) UNNAMED RAKHINE WOMAN SAYING:
"There are lots of Rohingyas and they shouted intimidation and threatened to kill us. They were very close to our village. I saw them with my own eyes, they arrested a Rakhine from the 17th quarter of the village. They don't care about our appeals. I am very afraid and I ran away. I am here to tell what happened to us."
This is the worst communal violence in the country since the military junta began democratic reform a year ago.
Jessica Gray, Reuters