At least 100 Rohingya Muslims have been killed in a recent wave of
sectarian violence in Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine, a Muslim party
leader says.
Hla Thein, the vice chairman of the National Democratic Party for
Development (NDPD), said on Friday that over 100 Muslims have lost their
lives over the past week in clashes between extremist Buddhists and
Rohingyas.
The deadly violence peaked on Tuesday night, but people have been killed
every day this week, said the leader of the Muslim political party that
won four seats in Myanmar’s 2010 election.
Meanwhile, Rakhine state spokesman Win Myaing said 112 people had been
killed in six townships in clashes that began Sunday between members of
the Buddhist Rakhine and the Muslim Rohingya communities. He said 72
people were reported injured, including 10 children.
The government announced earlier that almost 2,000 homes had been burned
down in the conflict.
In June, ethnic violence in the state left at least 90 people dead and
destroyed more than 3,000 homes. About 75,000 have been living in
refugee camps ever since.
A resident of another township, Ramree, said there also was violence
there Friday morning.
“There were some clashes between the two sides in Ramree this morning,”
Kyaw Win, 30, said by phone.
“Residents are very fearful of imminent attacks by the Muslim community
because security presence is very little. We don't feel safe. We want
the Bengalis to be moved away from the Rakhine community,” Kyaw Win
said. Rakhine prefer to use the term Bengali for Rohingya, whom they
contend are not a distinct ethnic group.
Kyaw Win said that a few houses had been burned down but that no
casualties were reported.
The mob violence has seen entire villages torched and has drawn calls
worldwide for government intervention.
“As the international community is closely watching Myanmar's democratic
transition, such unrest could tarnish the image of the country,” said a
statement from the office of President Thein Sein published Friday in
the state-run Myanma Ahlin newspaper.
Thein Sein took office as an elected president last year, and has
instituted economic and political liberalization after almost half a
century of repressive military rule.
“The army, police and authorities in cooperation with local people will
try to restore peace and stability and will take legal action against
any individual or organization that is trying to instigate the unrest,”
the statement warned.
The long-brewing conflict is rooted in a dispute over the Muslim
residents' origin. Although many Rohingya have lived in Myanmar for
generations, they are widely denigrated as intruders who came from
neighboring Bangladesh to steal scarce land.
The U.N. estimates their population in Myanmar at 800,000. But the
government does not count them as one of the country's 135 ethnic
groups, and so — like neighboring Bangladesh — denies them citizenship.
Human rights groups say racism also plays a role: Many Rohingya, who
speak a Bengali dialect and resemble Muslim Bangladeshis, have darker
skin and are heavily discriminated against.
A statement issued late Thursday by the office of U.N. Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon described the latest violence as “deeply troubling.” Ban
called on Myanmar authorities “to take urgent and effective action to
bring under control all cases of lawlessness.”
“The vigilante attacks, targeted threats and extremist rhetoric must be
stopped,” Ban said. “If this is not done, the fabric of social order
could be irreparably damaged and the reform and opening up process being
currently pursued by the government is likely to be jeopardized.”
In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said the
U.S. was deeply concerned about the reports and urged restraint.
In a hospital in Sittwe, the state capital not yet hit by the latest
round of violence, an Associated Press photographer talked to four
wounded people brought in from the affected areas. Aung Moe Khaing, 25,
was wounded in an arm and a leg, saying he was shot Tuesday when
soldiers dispersed the crowd.
Phyu Thein Maung, 39, from Yathetaung township, said he was shot in the
buttocks.
“Muslims provoked us from inside their village and challenged us from
their community, guarded by soldiers,” he said. “People were very angry
as they shot iron spikes at us with catapults and made abusive gestures.
I was hit by a gunshot when soldiers dispersed the crowd.”
There have been concerns in the past that soldiers were failing to
protect the Rohingya community, but accounts this time from Rakhine
villagers suggest that Myanmar's military may have been defending the
Rohingya.
The crisis has proven a major challenge to Thein Sein's government and
to opposition leader and Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who has
been criticized by some outsiders as failing to speak out strongly
against what they see as repression of the Rohingya.
The U.N. warned Thursday that the crisis had sent a new wave of refugees
to seek shelter in camps already overcrowded with 75,000 people from
the June violence.
Bangladesh has put its border guards on alert, fearing a new influx of
Rohingya refugees.
On Thursday, Bangladesh border guards turned away 45 Rohingya trying to
enter into Bangladesh by boats, said Lt. Col. Khalequzzaman, a border
commander. Local police chief Selim Mohammad Jahangir said Friday that
at least another 3,000 Rohingya Muslims had been spotted on about 40
boats on the Naaf River off Bangladesh's Tekhnaf coast.
He said the boats may try to enter Bangladesh, but “we have instructions
not to let them come here.”
Bangladesh says it's too poor to accept more refugees and feed them.
Bangladesh is hosting about 30,000 Rohingya who fled Myanmar to escape
government atrocities in 1991.
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