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| NLD veteran Win Tin speaks out against the continuing religious conflict in Myanmar. Photo: Mizzima |
June 17, 2013
Veteran dissident Win Tin on Friday called for the people of Myanmar to
work together to solve continuing communal violence between Muslims and
Buddhists across the country.
“If we see conflict, we must solve it with the given law,” said the
National League for Democracy co-founder at an event organized by the
Peace Cultivation Network, an Islamic-founded NGO.
Leaders from many religions and professions took to the stage at the
Royal Rose Restaurant in Yangon to call for peace in Myanmar.
“Opportunists are always waiting for opportunities to color religion,”
said Aye Lwin, of the Islamic Center of Myanmar. “If anything, we
[people of Myanmar] need to solve the problems as a family.”
The conference came as Buddhist leaders concluded a two-day summit on
the outskirts of Yangon, addressing communal violence. A draft law was
proposed by members of the 969 movement on the first day of talks, which
suggested prohibiting interfaith marriages, particularly to restrict
Buddhist women from marrying Muslim men.
When questioned by Mizzima on the sidelines of the event about the law, U
Nyarnitha, a monk from Pauk Saydi Monastery, said, “In religion, we
should not be addressing these political issues.”
More than 200 people were killed and 120,000 displaced when fighting
first erupted between Buddhists and Muslims in Rakhine State last year.
Since then, violent clashes have broken out in several pockets across
the country where the communities of the two faiths live side-by-side.
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