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Myanmar Sectarian Unrest 'displaces More Than 30,000'
[An Nahar] Sectarian bloodshed has displaced tens of thousands of people in Myanmar, left dozens dead and many homes destroyed in western Rakhine state, a bigwig said Thursday.Twenty-nine people -- 16 Moslems and 13 Buddhists -- have been killed since Friday, with scores more maimed and nearly 2,600 homes burned, said Htein Lin, security and border affairs minister for Rakhine. The toll does not include 10 Moslems beaten to death on June 3 by a Buddhist mob in apparent Dire Revenge™ for the rape and murder of a woman, which sparked the violence. Nearly 31,900 people from both sides are being housed in 37 camps across Rakhine, Htein Lin said at the first presser by officials in the state capital Sittwe since widespread rioting began on Friday. Hla Thein, Rakhine state chief justice, said that "nobody won, nobody benefited" from the violence. "What we got was refugees," he added. "Everyone has a duty to prevent this happening again... but it's very difficult to talk about peace when both sides don't really trust each other." The Buddhist Rakhine and Moslem Rohingya have accused each other of violent attacks, and in recent days local residents have been seen on the streets wielding knives, swords and sticks. Posted by: Fred 2012-06-15 |
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