Communal tensions bristle in Myanmar after Buddhist militants destroy mosque

June 25, 2016

Yangon, Jun 25: Scores of police have been deployed to guard a village in central Myanmar where religious tensions are running high after a Buddhist mob destroyed a mosque, authorities said Saturday.

myanmarIt is the latest flare-up of anti-Muslim violence in Myanmar, which has seen sporadic bouts of religious bloodshed since 2012, with a surge of Buddhist nationalism presenting a key challenge for Aung San Suu Kyi's new government.

The most recent violence erupted this week when an angry mob of around 200 Buddhists rampaged through a Muslim area of a village in Bago province following an argument between neighbours over the building of a Muslim school.

Own Lwin, the local police chief, said the atmosphere remained tense Saturday with around 100 police officers deployed to keep the peace.

"Last night, 50 police guarded the village to prepare for rumours that there might be more unrest. Now we have arranged a police force of up to 100 officers," he told AFP, adding that no arrests have been made over the destruction of the mosque.

Win Shwe, the mosque's secretary, told AFP that Muslim residents fear for their safety and are planning to move to a nearby town until the tension cools.

"Our situation is not safe and now we are planning to leave the village...We still feel afraid," he told AFP.

Strident anti-Muslim sentiment has fomented across Myanmar in recent years, with outbreaks of violence threatening to unravel democratic gains since the former junta stepped down in 2011.

The worst religious violence struck central Myanmar and western Rakhine State, which is home to the stateless Rohingya Muslim minority, tens of thousands of whom still languish in displacement camps after rioting.

Hardline monks and Buddhist nationalists fiercely oppose moves to recognise the Rohingya as an official minority and insist on calling them "Bengalis" - shorthand for illegal migrants from the border with Bangladesh.

Suu Kyi, a vocal champion for human rights, has been criticised for not taking a stronger stance on the Rohingya or the abuse they face.

This month the UN warned that violations against the group could amount to "crimes against humanity".

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, now leading Myanmar's first civilian government in decades, has asked for "space" while her administration seeks to build trust between religious communities.

Comments

Bopanna
 - 
Monday, 27 Jun 2016

How I wish this happens in India too. No one wants unclean Muslims and their terror teaching mosques in their country. Why would a peaceful community like Buddhists start violence ,? The Muslims must have instigated them....

Satyameva jayate
 - 
Sunday, 26 Jun 2016

Ha ha......and these Buddhist call themselves non violent and peace loving....bloody ...criminals .... terrorists ....
What would happen if it was a temple.......

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News Network
May 12,2020

Bengaluru, May 12: Last week, a 28-year-old, eight-months pregnant woman, was found murdered at her house, in Diburahalli. The woman was hacked to death with a machete during the day and was discovered only after her family members returned home, later in the day. After the alleged murder, the accused tried to destroy the evidence, by cleaning the crime scene, and wiping the bloodstains off the walls and floors.

The victim was a homemaker and her husband is employed in the railway department. The police suspected that the murder was a result of someone known to the woman and family, and were soon proved right. The woman was murdered by her own brother-in-law, frustrated with her for allegedly not taking care of his mother and other family members properly.

The victim has been identified as Jyothi, and the accused is her husband’s brother Hareesh Babu, 38. “Jyothi and the accused are alleged to have had differences for the past few years. Their fights kept escalating over the years. She had also informed her family and her husband about the regular fights with the brother-in-law. The accused had been advised by the family, to back off from Jyothi. Owing to his violent streak, Babu’s wife had deserted him and their son. Since his wife’s departure, he had started troubling his brother’s wife and was regularly picked a fight with her.

He complained that Jyothi neglected to take care of his mother and other family members. Investigations reveal these as false allegations, and in fact, Babu’s son was being raised by Jyothi,” said an officer on part of investigations.

Last week, when the victim was resting at home, the accused returned home at around 10.30 am and picked up a fight with her. The fight escalated and Babu ended up hacking her to death with a machete. The victim’s father Nagaraj, at the time of filing a complaint, mentioned Babu’s regular fights with Jyothi and suspected his role in the murder of his pregnant daughter.

The accused, after killing her, had gone to the farm and pretended to not knowing about the the happenings back home. Based on the complainant’s suspicion, the police picked up Babu. After a thorough interrogation, Babu reportedly confessed to the murder of his sister-in-law. The machete, which was used for Jyothi’s murder, was also recovered by the police team.

A case of murder under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code has been registered and further investigations are underway.

Comments

abdullah
 - 
Tuesday, 12 May 2020

Put this case in fast track and hang him immediately.  No mercy should be shown on such inhumans.

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News Network
February 18,2020

Mangaluru, Feb 18: Customs at International Airport here have seized Rs 58.95 lakh worth gold in two incidents and arrested two smugglers, Customs Commissionerate said on Monday.

According to the department, two men have been arrested by the customs officials in two separate incidents last evening for attempting to smuggle gold into the country valuing over Rs. 58.95 Lakhs.

In the first incident, Muhammed Swalih Chappathodi, 22, hailing from Malappuram, Kerala who arrived from Dubai by Spice jet flight concealed capsules containing gold in paste form inside his rectum which upon purification resulted in the recovery of 797 gm of 24 karats valued at Rs.32,35,820.

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News Network
July 21,2020

Mangaluru, Jul 21: Private hospitals cannot send back COVID-19 patients for any reason, district in-charge minister Kota Srinivas Poojary said on Monday.

The Minister was addressing a meeting at the Father Muller Medical College here on the arrangements made for COVID-19 patients.

Dakshina Kannada district is quite advanced in the medical field. Hence, the government will not tolerate COVID-19 patients wandering from one hospital to another for treatment. Refusing to admit COVID-19 patients in hospitals is unacceptable, he warned.

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