It takes a nation to protect the nation
Burma: Muslims Rape & Murder, More Muslims Riot
How bad must life be in Bangladesh for people to become illegal immigrants in Burma? What else is going on in this area to make buddhists behave so violently and illegally? Despite all that is going on in southern Thailand, the ordinary buddhists there don't appear to have taken the law into their own hands, and gone on a tit-for-tat killing spree against the muslims and the jihadis.
The backdrop to such wide unrest in Burma (enough to prompt a state of emergency) sounds like it is a case of long-term bad behaviour from the muslims. Or perhaps it is a case that the Burmese buddhists have been waiting for an opportunity to do something about the influx of muslim immigrants. Nevertheless, the contrast with Thailand is stark.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18384929
Riot-hit western Burma province in state of emergency
A spate of violence involving Buddhists and Muslims has left seven people dead and hundreds of properties damaged.
Trouble flared after the murder of a Buddhist woman last month, followed by an attack on a bus carrying Muslims.
Officials announced a curfew in four towns in the state earlier, expressing concerns about further clashes.
A state of emergency essentially allows the military to take over administrative control of the region.
State television said the order was in response to increasing "unrest and terrorist attacks" and "intended to restore security and stability to the people immediately".
President Thein Sein said the violence could put the country's moves towards democracy in danger.
"If we put racial and religious issues at the forefront, if we put the never-ending hatred, desire for revenge and anarchic actions at the forefront, and if we continue to retaliate and terrorise and kill each other, there's a danger that (the troubles) could multiply and move beyond Rakhine," he said.
"If this happens, the general public should be aware that the country's stability and peace, democratisation process and development, which are only in transition right now, could be severely affected and much would be lost."
A nominally civilian government was elected in 2010 and, in April this year, opposition politicians led by Aung San Suu Kyi entered Burma's parliament following historic by-elections.
However, the government is still dominated by the military and concerns over political repression and human rights abuses continue.
The violence began on 4 June when a mob attacked a bus in Taungup, Rakhine province, apparently mistakenly believing some of the passengers were responsible for the earlier rape and murder of a Buddhist woman.
The suspected perpetrators were later arrested in the town of Ramree in the far south of the province and are now on trial.
Ten Muslims died in the attack, which led to rioting in Maung Daw and Buthidaung townships on Friday and attacks on Buddhist properties.
According to state media, the rioting left at least seven people dead and 17 wounded.
Rakhine state is named for the ethnic Rakhine Buddhist majority but also has a sizeable Muslim population, including the Rohingya minority.
The Rohingya are a Muslim ethnic group and are stateless, as Burma considers them to be illegal immigrants from neighbouring Bangladesh.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Joe on
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There is more detail in The Independent. It seems the president of Burma is referring to the rioters as "terrorists" in order to not inflame religious conflict further.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/burmese-army-moves-in-...
Burma's President declared a state of emergency yesterday in a western state where tensions between Buddhists and Muslims have unleashed deadly violence.
Thein Sein issued the declaration in a speech televised nationally. A state of emergency allows the military to take over administrative functions for the area affected.
The move follows rioting on Friday in two areas of Rakhine that state media say left at least seven people dead and 17 wounded. Hundreds of houses were burnt down and the unrest spread over the weekend. State television had earlier announced that a 6pm-to-6am curfew had been imposed in Rakhine's capital, Sittwe, and three other townships.
Officials blamed the violence on 1,000 "terrorists", but residents said the rioters were Muslims, apparently retaliating for the 3 June lynching of 10 Muslims by 300 Buddhists.
The lynch mob was inflamed by the rape and murder last month of a Buddhist girl, allegedly by three Muslim men.
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Permalink Reply by shiva on
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Joe said:
Officials blamed the violence on 1,000 "terrorists", but residents said the rioters were Muslims, apparently retaliating for the 3 June lynching of 10 Muslims by 300 Buddhists.
The lynch mob was inflamed by the rape and murder last month of a Buddhist girl, allegedly by three Muslim men.
Deja Vue
Mar 1997
Religious conflict has been growing in Myanmar since the middle of the month and officials tightened security on March 21 after an attack on a mosque in the capital, Rangoon. Mandalay, the second largest city, is still under a nighttime curfew imposed last weekend when Buddhist monks went on a rampage, attacking eight mosques and starting street protests. The unrest in Mandalay allegedly began after reports of attempted rape of a girl by Muslim men At least three people have been killed and around 100 monks arrested.The All-Burma Muslim Union, a group associated with Burmese exile groups based on the Burmese-Thai border, accuses the government of being behind the latest Buddhist- Muslim strife. It says the military regime has systematically caused trouble for Muslims. Burma's Buddhist Youth Wing asserts that officials made up the rape story to cover up protests over the custodial deaths of 16 monks. The military has denied the Youths’ claim, stating that the unrest was a politically motivated attempt to stall Burma's entry in ASEAN
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Permalink Reply by Antony on
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Muslims longer term strategic aims in Burma ? ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxOsOg_thMk&feature=em-uploademail
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1000 terrorists in one place? surely that calls for a drone strike!.
As usual no one can see the elephant in the room. Although the muslims have said it was nothing to do with them, they are the victims. So of couse it must be true.
It seems as though the whole world is up for appeasing the islamic peoples. And not so long ago Burma was a closed country, it would have had no trouble quashing any up rising. All I can say is welcome to the free world.
And good for you the Buddhist monks. Lets see if your govenment protects your rights over the demands of the minority muslim majority. And yes i know what i just wrote.
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Antony and Shiva, thanks for the info. Interesting stuff.
Paul, it could well mean that there has been a long-festering problem in Burma with muslims. Because of the lack of information coming out of that country, we wouldn't know. I guess we might find reports in the Bangladeshi media. Certainly the scale of this violence and the government's response makes it look like a country with more problems than a mental military dictatorship.
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Further information is to be found in the report below. Whilst the new president is more open, it is clear from this that there have been long-standing problems between buddhists and muslims in Burma, and not just in this one province. Furthermore, the state report describes the 1,000 rioters as indeterminate "terrorists", whereas this report from AP makes it clear they were muslims. Now, if these muslims are taking refuge in Burma, is rape, murder, and terrorism really how you go about making yourself welcome? I suppose it is if you are driven by a supremacist ideology that fosters hatred for pagans.
The last paragraph implies that buddhists prayed for peace and calm. No indication that muslims did the same.
Also interesting to note how the BBC report seems to just parrot the report of the military dictatorship. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-18384929 I supposed the Blatantly Biased Corporation has completely lost the sense of what it means to be a journalist. Their army of graduate journalists are reduced to the role of copy typists. Seems like an expensive way to get a typing qualification. I did a 2 week course. I suppose they dress it up and call it BA (Hons) Applied Propaganda.
http://news.yahoo.com/state-emergency-declared-western-myanmar-1423...
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar's president has declared a state of emergency in a western state where sectarian tensions between Buddhists and Muslims have unleashed deadly violence. He warned that if the situation spun out of control, it could jeopardize the democratic reforms he has been instituting since taking office last year.
It is the first time Thein Sein has invoked the measure since becoming president. A state of emergency effectively allows the military to take over administrative functions for Rakhine State, a coastal region that borders Bangladesh.
The move follows rioting on Friday in two Rakhine areas that state media say left at least seven people dead and 17 wounded, and saw hundreds of houses burned down. The unrest spread on Saturday and Sunday, though order was said to have been restored in the areas shaken by Friday's violence.
In a nine-minute speech televised nationally Sunday night, Thein Sein said that the violence in Rakhine State was fanned by dissatisfaction harbored by different religious and ethnic groups, hatred and the desire for vengeance.
"If this endless anarchic vengeanceand deadly acts continue, there is the danger of them spreading to other parts and being overwhelmed by subversive influences," he said. "If that happens, it can severely affect peace and tranquility and our nascent democratic reforms and the development of the country."
The accounts in state media blamed Friday's rioting in Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships on 1,000 "terrorists," but residents' accounts made clear they were Muslims. The unrest seemed to be a reaction to the June 3 lynching of 10 Muslims by a crowd of 300 Buddhists. The lynch mob was apparently provoked by leaflets discussing the rape and murder last month of a Buddhist girl, allegedlyby three Muslim men.
The violence reflects long-standing tensions in Rakhine state between Buddhist residents and Muslims, many of whom are considered to be illegal settlers from neighboring Bangladesh. Myanmar's government does not recognize the Muslims in the area, who term themselves Rohingyas, as one of the country's national minorities. Although the basic problem is a local one, there is fear that the trouble could spread elsewhere because the split also runs along religious lines.
"I would like to call upon the people, political parties, religious leaders and the media to join hands with the government with a sense of duty, to help restore peace and stability and to prevent further escalation of violence," Thein Sein said.
Shops in the state capital, Sittwe, were closed and the busy port city was unusually quiet Sunday, according to residents, though some neighborhoods experienced trouble.
"Some houses were set on fire by the Muslims today in Sittwe and four Rakhine villagers arrived at the hospital with knife wounds," said Nu Nu Tha, a Sittwe resident contacted by phone.
"Almost all shops are closed and people live in fear that the Muslims might attack the Rakhine population. I am very scared and I have sent my children to Yangon by plane," Nu Nu Tha said.
Army troops had been deployed Friday in Maungdaw and Buthidaung to help police keep order, and security officials were reported to have fired shots to quell the violence. Curfews were also imposed.
In contrast to the previous military regime, Thein Sein's government has been relatively open in releasing timely information about the recent trouble. Under the former ruling junta, such incidents usually went unreported or were referred to only in brief, cryptic fashion.
Thein Sein was elected with the backing of the military, but discarded many of its repressive policies to seek accommodation with the pro-democracy movement of Nobel peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi.
In Myanmar's capital, Yangon, on Sunday, Buddhist monks and people from Rakhine state — about 500 in all — went to the Shwedagon Pagoda, the country's most revered Buddhist shrine, to say prayers for the murdered girl and those killed in the clashes.
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/burmamyanmar/9322765...
So, it's not just the villagers in the north-west of Burma who are regarding these muslims as the enemy. It looks like the buddhist monks in Rangoon are doing the same.
Seems buddhist monks are a little bit more politically active in Burma than they are in Thailand.
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Joe said:So, it's not just the villagers in the north-west of Burma who are regarding these muslims as the enemy. It looks like the buddhist monks in Rangoon are doing the same.
Seems buddhist monks are a little bit more politically active in Burma than they are in Thailand.
That my friend is a gross understatement
I will start of by saying that Burma has a very low muslim population at 4%, which is lower than Britain, 4.6% Denmark 4.1% and belgium 6% It has even less than Thailand 5.8, where the muslim population is in the South. Now this is surprising low especially when looking at Burma and the neighbor it shares a border with, Bangladesh with a population of 90%. Now considering historic what is now Burma, was and still is a buffer zone, it was after the fall of Chittagong to the Mughals in 1666, and muslim persecution of Buddhists and Hindus during the Mughal wars of conquest, where many Buddhists and Hindus were forcibly converted.
Below is an exract from Wikipedia, it is full of white washing so I have added comments in brackets and in bold text
The first Muslim recorded in Burmese history
The first Muslim documented in Burmese history (recorded in Hmannan Yazawin or Glass Palace Chronicle) was Byat Wi during the reign of Mon, a Thaton King, circa 1050 AD. He was killed not because he was a Muslim but because the king was concerned about his strength. (?)
Shwe Byin brothers executed
The two sons of Byat Wi's brother Byat Ta, known as Shwe Byin brothers, were children executed because they refused to obey the forced labour order of the king, maybe because of their religious belief. But it is sure that they were killed not because they were Muslims nor because they failed to contribute to the building of the pagoda ( they refused because it would go against islam) but because the king or people walking in the corridors of power in the royal court were worried about their popularity and skills. It was clearly recorded in the Glass Palace Chronicle of the Kings of Burma that they were no longer trusted.(The King had a good understanding of taquiya)
Assassination of Nga Yaman Kan
Rahman Khan (Nga Yaman Kan) was another Muslim killed for political reasons,( when has Islam and politics been separate) because of treason to his own king and clearly not as a religious persecution. During a time of war, the famous national hero King Kyansittha sent a hunter as a sniper to assassinate him.Massacre in Arakan
Another mass killing of Muslims in Arakan was probably not for religious reasons but likely due to politics and greed only (again politics is an important part of islam). Shah Shuja was the second son of the Mogul Emperor Shah Jahan who built the famous Taj Mahal of India. Shah Shuja lost to his brother and fled with his family and army to Arakan. The Arakan King Sandathudama (1652-1687 AD), allowed him to settle there. He wanted to buy ships to go to Mecca and was willing to pay with silver and gold. But the Arakan king asked for his daughter and also became greedy for his wealth. At last after an alleged unsuccessful attempt at rebellion the sultan and all his followers were killed. Those men seen to have a beard, the symbol of Islam, were beheaded. Women were put into prison and let them die with hunger. Therefore, the massacre was targeted at Muslim refugees from India. (A little bit of trickery here, With the open in statement, we are lead to believe that the King was to blame, by greed and lust, not the alleged rebellion, also this was very shortly after the fall of Chittagong)
Muslims under Bayintnaung
Muslims served under Burmese king Bayintnaung (1550-1589 AD). In 1559 AD after conquering Bago (Pegu) he prohibited the Muslims from having halal meals of goats and chickens by not allowing them to kill these animals in the name of God. He showed religious intolerance ( the muslims in this case where the ones showing religious intolerance) and had forced some of his subjects to listen to Buddhist sermons and some were even said to be converted by force. He also disallowed the Edil Adha, Kurbani sacrifice of cattle.( In Burma the killing of cattle is taboo)
Muslims under Alaungpaya
King Alaungpaya (1752–1760) prohibited Muslims to do halal on cattle.Bodawpaya
King Bodawpaya (1782–1819) arrested four famous Burma Muslim Moulvis (Imams) from Myedu and killed them in Ava, the capital, after they refused to eat pork. According to the Myedu Muslim and Burma Muslim version there were seven dark days after that execution and the king later apologized and recognized them as saints. (This is a bit of Cherry picking. Arakan was an independent kingdom until its annexation in 1784 by the Burmese King Bodawpaya (1782-1819). It encompassed at times the southern part of today’s Bangladesh, and was famous as a land of economic opportunities, on the maritime shipping routes between south-west Asia and south-east Asia. During the conquest, Bodawpaya’s soldiers returned with 20,000 Arakanese prisoners. Thousand of Arakanese Muslims and Buddhists were put to death. The Burmese soldiers destroyed mosques, temples, shrines, seminaries and libraries, including the Mrauk-U Royal Library)There is a lot more I could add to this, but I think you get the picture. It seems to me that the Buddhists had been pushed to much and drew two lines lines, One in the North, Burma, and the other in South Thailand, and said enough is enough. Also because of these line Vietnam Cambodia and Laos the muslim population is vey small.
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Yo
I really do not know what is really behind this latest incident. I do not take this at face value, as there could be another element at play here. I do not rule out, that this incident could be provoke by elements from the old regime to sabotage the present efforts of the present government. Either way it is very disturbing.
Racial and religious tensions have run high between Muslims and Burmese since independence in 1948. Successive Burmese regimes have encouraged or instigated violence against Muslims as a way of diverting the public’s attention away from economic or political concerns. To instigate violence and riots, members of the regime have been found to spread rumors and distribute booklets and leaflets enticing Buddhists to attack Muslims Also it has been known for soldiers to dress as monks. As a result, many mosques, homes, shops and schools were destroyed and many Muslims were killed or injured.
So we can not discount that there could be something else going on, either way, it doesn't look good. Firstly this could develop into a similar situation like southern Thailand, or secondly an attempt by the old regime to get back into power.
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Updated: Tue, 12 Jun 2012 15:53:09 GMT | By Agence France-Presse
'Dozens dead' in Myanmar religious violence
Dozens of people have been killed in a surge in sectarian violence in Myanmar, an official said Tuesday, as international pressure grew for an end to the bloodshed.
'Dozens dead' in Myanmar religious violence
A state of emergency has been declared in western Rakhine state, which has been rocked by a wave of rioting and arson, posing a major test for the reformist government which took power last year.
"About 25 people have been killed during the unrest," a senior government official told AFP, requesting anonymity. He did not give details of how they died or whether they were Buddhists or Muslims.
A further 41 people were wounded in five days of unrest, he said.
The death toll does not include 10 Muslims who were killed on June 3 by a Buddhist mob in apparent revenge for the rape and murder of a woman, which sparked the violence in Rakhine.
Rights organisations fear the number of people killed could be much higher than the official figure. AFP reporters have been unable to visit many of the affected areas for security reasons.
Gunfire rattled the state capital Sittwe on Tuesday and there was a heavy security presence, according to an AFP reporter. Plumes of smoke rose from fires dotted around the area.
Separately, police in neighbouring Bangladesh said a Muslim died in a hospital there Tuesday after he was allegedly shot by Myanmar security forces before escaping across the border.
The United States urged an immediate halt to the deadly sectarian unrest, which has prompted the United Nations to evacuate foreign workers from Rakhine state.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Monday called for "all parties to exercise restraint", adding that "the United States continues to be deeply concerned".
The United Nations has started to pull out more than 40 workers -- including foreigners -- and their families from the area.
The humanitarian group Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders), one of the few international aid groups with a presence in the area, said that it had suspended its activities there, disrupting essential treatment.
"MSF is concerned about the safety of all its patients and staff and hopes to resume medical activities as soon as possible in order to avoid unnecessary lives being lost," it said in a statement.
Warning that the violence is running "out of control", New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) called for international observers to be deployed in Rakhine.
"Why is the international community pulling out at this time? Is the threat at a level that warrants it?" said Phil Robertson, deputy director of HRW's Asia division
"The government of Burma (Myanmar) has thrown a black veil over the situation in Rakhine state," he told AFP.
Rakhine, a predominantly Buddhist state bordering Bangladesh, is home to a large number of Muslims including the Rohingya, described by the United Nations as one of the world's most persecuted minorities.
The Myanmar government considers the Rohingya to be foreigners, while many citizens see them as illegal immigrants and view them with hostility, describing them as "Bengalis".
Rioting has seen hundreds of homes set on fire across the state.
An ethnic Rakhine fireman said some Rohingya villagers had been injured as they escaped burning homes near Sittwe.
"We all have sympathy for them (the Rohingya). We saw women and children running for their lives. We are all humans," he added, but asked not to be named.
About 100 other Rohingya attempting to escape over the frontier were turned back as they tried to cross a river, Bangladesh border forces said, on the second day boats had been repelled from landing on its territory.
The violence poses a serious challenge to Myanmar's reformist President Thein Sein, as the nation takes tentative steps towards democracy after decades of authoritarian rule.
Animosity between local Buddhists and the Rohingya appears increasingly intractable with both sides trading angry accusations over the surge in violence this month, much of it playing out over social networking websites.
Experts say radical elements on both sides may be trying to benefit from the unrest.
"Some Buddhist hardliners probably want to see the Rohingya purged from Burmese soil," said Nicholas Farrelly, a southeast Asia expert at the Australian National University.
"On the other side there are Rohingya who want the world to pay much more consistent attention to their plight."
According to the UN, there are nearly 800,000 Rohingya in Myanmar, mostly in Rakhine. Another one million or more are thought to live in other countries.
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Rakhine, a predominantly Buddhist state bordering Bangladesh, is home to a large number of Muslims including the Rohingya, described by the United Nations as one of the world's most persecuted minorities.
Is that the UN who say that or the OIC. Muslim minoritys always claim they are being presecuted. Sorry i'm just cynical.
The Myanmar government considers the Rohingya to be foreigners, while many citizens see them as illegal immigrants and view them with hostility, describing them as "Bengalis".
Illegas or not. It shows yet again muslims and all other religions struggle to live side by side.
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