RANGON NEWS DAILY: Myanmar army takes control of central city, imposing tense calm after violence kills dozens (ဓာတ္ပံု မ်ား က ေျပာေသာ မိတၳီလာ )

Myanmar army takes control of central city, imposing tense calm after violence kills dozens

March 23, 2013

MEIKHTILA, Myanmar — Myanmar’s army took control of a ruined central city on Saturday, imposing a tense calm after several days of clashes between Buddhists and Muslims left piles of corpses in the streets and buildings ablaze in the worst sectarian bloodshed to hit the Southeast Asian nation this year.

Truckloads of soldiers could be seen patrolling Meikhtila and taking up positions at intersections and banks as authorities delivered food and water to thousands of displaced Muslims. Some residents, who had cowered indoors for days since the mayhem began Wednesday, emerged from their homes to take in the destruction.

President Thein Sein, a former general who vowed to bring democracy to Myanmar after half a century of military rule, imposed a state of emergency in the region Friday to stop violence from spreading. The unrest was the first of its kind here since two similar bouts of bloodshed shook western Rakhine state last year, and its spread highlights the government’s failure to reign in anti-Muslim sentiment in a predominantly Buddhist country, where even monks have staged anti-Muslim rallies and called on their supporters to drive out opponents with arms.

It was not immediately clear which side bore the brunt of the latest unrest, but terrified Muslims, who make about 30 percent of Meikhtila’s 100,000 inhabitants, stayed off the streets Friday as their shops and homes burned and angry Buddhist residents and monks tried to stop firefighters from dousing the blazes. Riot police crisscrossed town seizing machetes and hammers from anxious Buddhist mobs.

At least five mosques were torched and thousands of terrified Muslims have fled their homes, escorted away by police to two make-shift camps. Some Buddhists, meanwhile, have sought shelter at local monasteries.

“Calm has been restored after troops have taken charge of security, said Win Htein, an opposition lawmaker from Meikhtila. “So far, nearly 6,000 Muslim people have been relocated at a stadium and a police station for their safety.”

Residents said rescue workers and volunteers were arriving from other towns to help, and local Buddhists were giving food and water to displaced Muslims.

Little appeared to be left of some palm tree-lined neighborhoods, though, where whole plots were reduced to smoldering masses of twisted debris and ash. Broken glass, destroyed motorcycles and overturned tables littered roads beside rows of burnt-out homes and shops, evidence of the widespread chaos that swept the town.

Residents described finding gruesome scenes. Local businessman San Hlaing said he counted 28 bodies this week, all men, piled in groups around the town, including on a highway.

The government’s struggle to contain the violence is proving another major challenge Thein Sein’s reformist administration as it attempts to chart a path to democracy after nearly half a century of military rule that once crushed all dissent.

Thein Sein took office two years ago this month, and despite ushering in an era of reform, he has faced not only violence in Rakhine state, but an upsurge in fighting with ethnic Kachin rebels in the north and major protests at a northern copper mine where angry residents — emboldened by promises of freedom of expression — have come out to denounce land grabbing.

March 23, 2013

MEIKHTILA, Myanmar — Myanmar’s army took control of a ruined central city on Saturday, imposing a tense calm after several days of clashes between Buddhists and Muslims left piles of corpses in the streets and buildings ablaze in the worst sectarian bloodshed to hit the Southeast Asian nation this year.
Truckloads of soldiers could be seen patrolling Meikhtila and taking up positions at intersections and banks as authorities delivered food and water to thousands of displaced Muslims. Some residents, who had cowered indoors for days since the mayhem began Wednesday, emerged from their homes to take in the destruction.

President Thein Sein, a former general who vowed to bring democracy to Myanmar after half a century of military rule, imposed a state of emergency in the region Friday to stop violence from spreading. The unrest was the first of its kind here since two similar bouts of bloodshed shook western Rakhine state last year, and its spread highlights the government’s failure to reign in anti-Muslim sentiment in a predominantly Buddhist country, where even monks have staged anti-Muslim rallies and called on their supporters to drive out opponents with arms.

It was not immediately clear which side bore the brunt of the latest unrest, but terrified Muslims, who make about 30 percent of Meikhtila’s 100,000 inhabitants, stayed off the streets Friday as their shops and homes burned and angry Buddhist residents and monks tried to stop firefighters from dousing the blazes. Riot police crisscrossed town seizing machetes and hammers from anxious Buddhist mobs.

At least five mosques were torched and thousands of terrified Muslims have fled their homes, escorted away by police to two make-shift camps. Some Buddhists, meanwhile, have sought shelter at local monasteries.

“Calm has been restored after troops have taken charge of security, said Win Htein, an opposition lawmaker from Meikhtila. “So far, nearly 6,000 Muslim people have been relocated at a stadium and a police station for their safety.”

Residents said rescue workers and volunteers were arriving from other towns to help, and local Buddhists were giving food and water to displaced Muslims.

Little appeared to be left of some palm tree-lined neighborhoods, though, where whole plots were reduced to smoldering masses of twisted debris and ash. Broken glass, destroyed motorcycles and overturned tables littered roads beside rows of burnt-out homes and shops, evidence of the widespread chaos that swept the town.

Residents described finding gruesome scenes. Local businessman San Hlaing said he counted 28 bodies this week, all men, piled in groups around the town, including on a highway.

The government’s struggle to contain the violence is proving another major challenge Thein Sein’s reformist administration as it attempts to chart a path to democracy after nearly half a century of military rule that once crushed all dissent.

Thein Sein took office two years ago this month, and despite ushering in an era of reform, he has faced not only violence in Rakhine state, but an upsurge in fighting with ethnic Kachin rebels in the north and major protests at a northern copper mine where angry residents — emboldened by promises of freedom of expression — have come out to denounce land grabbing.