Myanmar leader vows to use force to quell riots
MYANMAR President Thein Sein said yesterday that his government will use force if necessary to quell deadly religious rioting that started last week, as attacks on Muslims by Buddhist mobs continued in several towns.
In his first public comments on the violence, Thein Sein warned in a televised speech that he would make all legal efforts to stop "political opportunists and religious extremists" trying to sow hatred between faiths.
The recent religious unrest began March 20 with rioting by Buddhists targeting minority Muslims in the central city of Meikhtila that left at least 40 people dead and drove 12,000 from their homes. The unrest spread this week to several towns in the Bago region, about 160 kilometers north of the country's biggest city, Yangon.
Curfews and bans on public gatherings have been imposed in the affected areas, but state television reported that groups of people attacked houses, shops and religious buildings yesterday in two towns in Bago.
"In general, I do not endorse the use of force to solve problems. However, I will not hesitate to use force as a last resort to protect the lives and safeguard the property of the general public," said Thein Sein.
"We must expect these conflicts and difficulties to arise during our period of democratic transition," he said in a 10-minute speech. "As we rebuild our society, we must rise above 60 years of historical bitterness, confrontational approaches and a zero-sum attitude in solving our differences."
Occasional isolated violence involving majority Buddhists and minority Muslims has occurred for decades. But tensions have heightened since last year when hundreds of people were killed and more than 100,000 made homeless in violence in western Myanmar between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya.
In his first public comments on the violence, Thein Sein warned in a televised speech that he would make all legal efforts to stop "political opportunists and religious extremists" trying to sow hatred between faiths.
The recent religious unrest began March 20 with rioting by Buddhists targeting minority Muslims in the central city of Meikhtila that left at least 40 people dead and drove 12,000 from their homes. The unrest spread this week to several towns in the Bago region, about 160 kilometers north of the country's biggest city, Yangon.
Curfews and bans on public gatherings have been imposed in the affected areas, but state television reported that groups of people attacked houses, shops and religious buildings yesterday in two towns in Bago.
"In general, I do not endorse the use of force to solve problems. However, I will not hesitate to use force as a last resort to protect the lives and safeguard the property of the general public," said Thein Sein.
"We must expect these conflicts and difficulties to arise during our period of democratic transition," he said in a 10-minute speech. "As we rebuild our society, we must rise above 60 years of historical bitterness, confrontational approaches and a zero-sum attitude in solving our differences."
Occasional isolated violence involving majority Buddhists and minority Muslims has occurred for decades. But tensions have heightened since last year when hundreds of people were killed and more than 100,000 made homeless in violence in western Myanmar between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Muslim Rohingya.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS
- |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔$粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.