New clashes
between Muslims and Buddhists have broken out in volatile western Myanmar,
leaving people dead and more than a thousand homes burned to the ground.
The skirmishes began in Minbyar and Mrauk-U districts, both located north of the regional capital, Sittwe. It is some of the worst reported clashes between Rohingya Muslims and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists since skirmishes swept the region in June, displacing about 70,000 people.
The crisis goes back decades and is rooted in a dispute over where western Burma's Muslim inhabitants are from. Although many Rohingya have lived in Burma for generations, they are widely denigrated as foreigners- intruders who came from neighbouring Bangladesh to steal scarce land.
The UN estimates their number at 800,000. The United Nations describes Rohingya as a religious and linguistic minority from western Burma. It says the Rohingya are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.
But even the origins of the word Rohingya, and how they came to be in Burma, is controversial with some historians saying the group dates back centuries and others saying it only emerged as a campaigning force last century.
But according to the Burmese government, they are relatively recent migrants from the Indian sub-continent. As a result, the country's constitution does not include them among indigenous groups qualifying for citizenship.
Historically, the Rakhine majority has resented the presence of Rohingyas, who they view as Muslim people from another country.
The Rohingyas, on the other hand, feel they are part of Burma and claim persecution by the state. Neighbouring Bangladesh already hosts several hundred thousand refugees from Burma and says it cannot take any more.
But the government does not count them as one of the country's 135 ethnic groups, and so-like Bangladesh-denies them citizenship.
The conflict has proven to be a major challenge for the government of President Thein Sein, which has embarked on democratic reforms since half a half of military rule ended in 2011.
The skirmishes began in Minbyar and Mrauk-U districts, both located north of the regional capital, Sittwe. It is some of the worst reported clashes between Rohingya Muslims and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists since skirmishes swept the region in June, displacing about 70,000 people.
The crisis goes back decades and is rooted in a dispute over where western Burma's Muslim inhabitants are from. Although many Rohingya have lived in Burma for generations, they are widely denigrated as foreigners- intruders who came from neighbouring Bangladesh to steal scarce land.
The UN estimates their number at 800,000. The United Nations describes Rohingya as a religious and linguistic minority from western Burma. It says the Rohingya are one of the most persecuted minorities in the world.
But even the origins of the word Rohingya, and how they came to be in Burma, is controversial with some historians saying the group dates back centuries and others saying it only emerged as a campaigning force last century.
But according to the Burmese government, they are relatively recent migrants from the Indian sub-continent. As a result, the country's constitution does not include them among indigenous groups qualifying for citizenship.
Historically, the Rakhine majority has resented the presence of Rohingyas, who they view as Muslim people from another country.
The Rohingyas, on the other hand, feel they are part of Burma and claim persecution by the state. Neighbouring Bangladesh already hosts several hundred thousand refugees from Burma and says it cannot take any more.
But the government does not count them as one of the country's 135 ethnic groups, and so-like Bangladesh-denies them citizenship.
The conflict has proven to be a major challenge for the government of President Thein Sein, which has embarked on democratic reforms since half a half of military rule ended in 2011.
No comments:
Post a Comment