As death toll passes 20, HRW urges Bangladesh to keep Burma border open

[From asiancorrespondent.com]

People fled their burning homes and Burma’s security forces struggled to contain communal violence Tuesday in a western region where state media reported the death toll climbed to 21.

Pic: AP

The conflict pitting ethnic Rakhine Buddhists against stateless Rohingya Muslims in coastal Rakhine state marks some of the worst sectarian unrest recorded in Burma in years. President Thein Sein has declared an emergency in Rakhine state and warned that the spiraling violence could threaten the democratic reforms tentatively transforming the country after half a century of military rule.

From Friday through Monday, the evening’s news report said, 21 people have been killed, 21 wounded and 1,662 houses burned down around Rakhine state. The mass violence started Friday in Maungdaw township, when what was said to be a mob of 1,000 Muslims — described as “terrorists” in the state media — went on a rampage and had to be restrained by armed troops.

Sectarian Violence Continues in Myanmar

[From AlJazeera.com]

Violence continued in western Myanmar on Tuesday with security forces struggling to contain sectarian and ethnic clashes that have displaced thousands of people.

BGB has sent back three boats containing 1000 Rohingya refugees. Photo courtesy: therepublic.com

The conflict between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims has left about 25 people dead and dozens wounded in five days of sectarian violence in the coastal Rakhine state.

“About 25 people have been killed during the unrest,” a senior government official told AFP news agency on Tuesday, without providing details of how they died or whether they were Buddhists or Muslims.

President Thein Sein has declared a state of emergency and deployed army troops to restore stability, warning that the unrest could threaten the fragile nation’s recent democratic reforms as it emerges from half a century of military rule.