Three Buddhist monks walk near Myanmar soldiers
providing security in Meikhtila, about 550 kilometers (340 miles) north
of Yangon, Myanmar, Monday, March 25, 2013. Sectarian clashes between
Buddhists and Muslims in Meikhtila spread to at least two other towns in
the country's heartland over the weekend, undermining government
efforts to quash an eruption of violence that has killed dozens of
people and displaced 10,000 more. On Sunday, Vijay Nambiar, the U.N.
secretary-general's special adviser on Myanmar, toured Meikhtila, where
soldiers were able to impose order after several days of anarchy and
called on the government to punish those responsible. (AP Photo/Khin
Maung Win)
Source:Here
March 25, 2013
Associated Press
YANGON, Myanmar – Anti-Muslim mobs rampaged through three more towns in
Myanmar's predominantly Buddhist heartland over the weekend, destroying
mosques and burning dozens of homes despite government efforts to stop
the nation's latest outbreak of sectarian violence from spreading.
President Thein Sein declared a state of emergency in central Myanmar on
Friday and deployed army troops to the worst hit city, Meikhtila, where
32 people were killed and 10,000 mostly Muslim residents were
displaced. But even as soldiers imposed order there after several days
of anarchy that saw armed Buddhists torch the city's Muslim quarters,
anti-Muslim unrest has spread south toward the capital, Naypyitaw.
A Muslim resident of Tatkone, about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from
Meikhtila, said by telephone that a group of about 20 men ransacked a
one-story brick mosque there late Sunday night, pelting it with stones
and smashing windows before soldiers fired shots to drive them away.
Speaking on condition of anonymity because of security concerns, he said
he believed the perpetrators were not from Tatkone.
A day earlier, another mob burned down a mosque and 50 homes in the
nearby town of Yamethin, state television reported. Another mosque and
several buildings were also destroyed the same day in Lewei, farther
south. It was not immediately clear who was behind the violence, and no
clashes or casualties were reported in the three towns.
The upsurge in sectarian unrest is casting a shadow over Thein Sein's
administration as it struggles to bring democratic reform the Southeast
Asian country after half a century of army rule officially ended two
years ago this month.
Two similar episodes rocked western Rakhine state last year, pitting
ethnic Rakhine Buddhists against Rohingya Muslims in bloodshed that
killed hundreds and drove 100,000 from their homes.
The Rohingya are widely denigrated as illegal migrants from Bangladesh
and most are denied passports as a result. The Muslim population of
central Myanmar, by contrast, is mostly of Indian origin and does not
face the same questions over nationality.
The emergence of sectarian conflict beyond Rakhine state is an ominous
development, one that indicates anti-Muslim sentiment has intensified
nationwide since last year and, if left unchecked, could spread.
Sectarian and ethnic tensions are not new in Myanmar.
Muslims account for about four percent of the nation's roughly 60
million people, and during the long era of authoritarian rule, military
governments twice drove out hundreds of thousands of Rohingya, while
smaller clashes had occurred elsewhere. About one third of the
population is comprised of ethnic minorities that practice Christianity
or animism, and most have waged wars against the government for
autonomy.
Analysts say racism has also played a role. Unlike the ethnic Burman
majority, most Muslims in Myanmar are of South Asian descent,
populations with darker skin that migrated to Myanmar centuries ago from
what are now parts of India and Bangladesh.
The latest bloodshed "shows that inter-communal tensions in Myanmar are
not just limited to the Rakhine and Rohingya in northern Rakhine state,"
said Jim Della-Giacoma of the International Crisis Group. "Myanmar is a
country with dozens of localized fault lines and grievances that were
papered over during the authoritarian years that we are just beginning
to see and understand. It is a paradox of transitions that greater
freedom does allow these local conflicts to resurface."
"If a democratic state is the nation's goal, they need to find a place
for all its people as equal citizens," Della-Giacoma said. "Given the
country's history, it won't be easy."
The government has put the total death toll in Meikhtila at 32, and
authorities say they have detained at least 35 people allegedly involved
in arson and violence in the region.
On Sunday, Vijay Nambiar, the U.N. secretary-general's special adviser
on Myanmar, toured Meikhtila and called on the government to punish
those responsible.
He also visited some of the nearly 10,000 people driven from their homes
in the unrest. Most of the displaced are minority Muslims, who appeared
to have suffered the brunt of the violence as armed Buddhist mobs
roamed city.
Nambiar said he was encouraged to learn that some individuals in both
communities had helped each other and that religious leaders were now
advocating peace. He said the people he spoke to believe the violence
"was the work of outsiders," but he gave no details.
"There is a certain degree of fear and anxiety among the people, but
there is no hatred," Nambiar said after visiting both groups on Sunday
and promising the United Nations would provide as much help as it can to
get the city back on its feet. "They feel a sense of community and that
it is a very good thing because they have worked together and lived
together."
But he added: "It is important to catch the perpetrators. It is important that they be caught and punished."
In Meikthila, at least five mosques were set ablaze from Wednesday to
Friday. The majority of homes and shops burned in the city also belonged
to Muslims, and most of the displaced are Muslim. Dozens of corpses
were piled in the streets, some of them charred beyond recognition.
"The city is calm and some shops have reopened, but many still live in
fear. Some still dare not return to their homes," said Win Htein, an
opposition lawmaker from the city.
Myanma Ahlin, a state-run newspaper, carried a statement from Buddhist,
Muslim, Christian and Hindu leaders expressing sorrow for the loss of
life and property and calling on Buddhist monks to help ease tensions.
"We would like to call upon the government to provide sufficient
security and to protect the displaced people and to investigate and take
legal measures as urgently as possible," the statement from the
Interfaith Friendship Organization said.
Muslims, who make up about 30 percent of Meikhtila's 100,000
inhabitants, have stayed off the streets since their shops and homes
were burned and Buddhist mobs armed with machetes and swords began
roaming the city.
Little appeared to be left of some palm tree-lined neighborhoods, where
the legs of victims could be seen poking out from smoldering masses of
twisted debris and ash. Broken glass, charred cars and motorcycles and
overturned tables littered roads beside rows of burned-out homes and
shops, evidence of the widespread chaos that swept the town.
Chaos began Wednesday after an argument broke out between a Muslim gold
shop owner and his Buddhist customers. Once news spread that a Muslim
man had killed a Buddhist monk, Buddhist mobs rampaged through a Muslim
neighborhood and the situation quickly spiraled out of control.
Residents and activists said the police did little to stop the rioters
or reacted too slowly, allowing the violence to escalate.
___
Associated Press writers Todd Pitman and Grant Peck contributed to this report from Bangkok.
Source:Here
No comments:
Post a Comment