07:26
Ulama
[The
news report below was lifted from ‘The Irrawaddy’ - “a newsmagazine published by the Irrawaddy Publishing Group, founded
in 1992 by Burmese exiles living in Thailand. Wikipedia”]
Kyaukpyu’s
Muslim Quarter Razed to the Ground
 |
[Some 800 homes
belonging to Rohingya Muslims were burnt down in Pauktaw on Thursday, Oct. 25,
2012 (PHOTO: Thi Ha / Facebook]
|
Several
hundred Rohingya people have fled their burning homes in Kyaukpyu Township and
taken to the sea after deadly clashes on Tuesday night.
A
local source told The Irrawaddy that
the entire Muslim quarter – more than 300 houses belonging to the Rohingya
community was burned to the ground by Arakanese Buddhist [Rakhine] residents
who were angry at reports that three local Rakhine men had been killed. An
unknown number of Rohingyas were killed in Tuesday night’s violence. Eleven persons were reportedly admitted to
hospital after rival groups clashed with machetes and other weapons.
The
following day, 80 boats full of fleeing Rohingyas were spotted heading to open
water. The source said that 54 boats
departed from Kyaukpyu 12:30 in the afternoon and another 26 boats left around
5 pm.
“There
is no one left in the Muslim quarter.” He said. “They have all fled and were
heading to Sittwe.”
Sittwe
is the capital of Arakan State. The
Rohingya boat people are thought to be seeking the shelter of a neighborhood in
the city where security is overseen by state authorities.
A
resident from Kyaukpyu Township told The
Irrawaddy on Thursday morning that tensions were high in the town and that
the army had been deployed.
Burma’s
state-run media reported on Thursday that only 69 houses were burned down and
20 persons were wounded on Tuesday night, while on Wednesday morning one person
was killed, eight were wounded and some 700 houses were torched.
The
Burmese service of BBC radio reported on Wednesday that 20 Rohingyas and six
Rakhine men had been killed in riots in Myebon Township. It said that some 200 Rohingya people from
Myebon had been made homeless and had fled in fear to the mountainous jungle
nearby.
The
resurgence in sectarian violence follows incidents earlier this week in Minbyar
Township where one Rakhine man and two Rohingya women were killed. The violence then spread to Mrauk-U Township.
Burma’s
state-rn media reported on Wednesday that just two people were killed – one
Buddhist, one Muslim – in Minbyar and Mrauk-U townships while 1,039 local
houses were destroyed.
Thousands
of people from both sides of the ongoing conflict have abandoned their villages
in fear of reprisals and are currently seeking shelter in other locations. Many Buddhist Arakanese are reportedly
sheltering in Buddhist temples, according to a local source.
The
Arakan State government has imposed a curfew in Minbyar and Mrauk-U following
the unrest, which began on Sunday night.
Hundreds
of Rakhine students protested in Sittwe on Wednesday, claiming that they were
unable to study under the security conditions in the city.
Some
70,000 people are estimated to have become homeless since the sectarian
violence ignited in June.
Meanwhile,
Burma’s opposition party National league for Democraccy on Thursday urged the
Burmese government to take further security measures to stop the ongoing violence
in Arakan State and re-establish peace and security in townships such as
Kyaukpyu, Minbyar, Mrauk-U and Ann.
The
88 Generation Students group also released statement calling on all people in
Burma to work together to resolve this conflict, stressing that a solution must
be based on democracy and human rights.
[Source: http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/17309]
