October 27, 2012
The Guardian (UK)

Burma's Leader Admits Deadly Attacks on Muslims

Satellite images show huge swath of coastal town destroyed in a wave of violence which has left dozens dead

by Peter Beaumont

Burma's president has admitted an unprecedented wave of ethnic violence has targeted his country's Rohingya Muslim population, destroying whole villages and large parts of towns.

Thein Sein's acknowledgement follows the release of satellite images showing the severe scale of the destruction in one coastal town, where most - if not all - of the Muslim population appears to have been displaced and their homes destroyed.

The pictures, acquired by Human Rights Watchshow destruction to the coastal town of Kyaukpyu in the country's west. They reveal an area of destruction 35 acres in size in which some 811 buildings and boats have been destroyed. . . .

The attacks in Arakan province in the country's west - also known as Rakhine - appears to have been part of a wave of communal violence pitting Arakan Buddhists against Muslims that has hit five separate towns and displaced thousands of people. . . .

The Rohingya are officially stateless. Buddhist-majority Burma's government regards the estimated 800,000 of them in the country as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, and not as one of the country's 135 official ethnic groups, and denies them citizenship. . . .

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[throughout history some Buddhists - like any faith - have used religion to justify violence. . . .

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[Ten years after she left house arrest and vowed to fight for justice, Myanmar's civilian leader has instead become a jailer of critics and an apologist for the slaughter of minorities.--Hannah Beech, "How a Human Rights Angel Lost Her Halo," nytimes.com, November 14, 2020]