Riot-hit western Burma province in state of emergency

BBC:

Burma’s president Thein Sein has announced a state of emergency in the western state of Rakhine, following a week of sectarian attacks in the area.

A spate of violence involving Buddhists and Muslims has left 17 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.

According to Associated Press, 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”.

Sectarian tension

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.

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