As Violence Dies Down in Rakhine, Real Struggles Begin

June 22, 2012 from LinkAsia

Peace has descended on Myanmar's Rakhine state, yet some of the region's biggest problems are just beginning. Authorities have to deal with 90,000 displaced citizens, simmering tensions, and the smoldering ruins of Sittwe's neighborhoods.

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Myanmar

Burma, also known as Myanmar, is a sovereign state in Southeast Asia bordered by China, Thailand, India, Laos and Bangladesh. One-third of Burma's total perimeter of 1,930 kilometres forms an uninterrupted coastline along the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. Its population o... Explore this topic

Rakhine State

Rakhine State is a state in Burma. Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State in the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region in the east, the Bay of Bengal to the west, and the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh to the northwest. It is located a... Explore this topic

Rohingya

The Rohingya people are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group who speak a language very similar to Bengali and practise Islam. The origin of this group of people is disputed with some saying they are indigenous to the state of Rakhine in Burma and others contending that they are Muslim m... Explore this topic

Sittwe

Sittwe is the capital of Rakhine State, Myanmar. Sittwe, pronounced site-tway in the Rakhine language, is located on an estuarial island created at the confluence of the Kaladan, Mayu, and Lay Mro rivers emptying into the Bay of Bengal. The city has 181,000 inhabitants. it is ... Explore this topic

Muslim

A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the Qur'an—which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad—and, with lesser authority than the Qur'an, the teachings and practices of Muhammad as ... Explore this topic

Thein Sein

Thein Sein is a Burmese politician and former military commander who has been President of Burma since March 2011. He was the Prime Minister from 2007 until 2011 and considered by some as a moderate and reformist in the post-junta government. His new government undertook a ser... Explore this topic

Buddhism

Buddhism is a religion indigenous to the Indian subcontinent that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, who is commonly known as the Buddha, meaning "the awakened one". The Buddha lived and taugh... Explore this topic

Bangladesh

Bangladesh officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is located on the fertile Ganges-Brahmaputra delta and forms part of the ancient and historic region of Bengal. The name Bangladesh means "Country of Bengal" in the official Bengali langu... Explore this topic

Ethnic violence

Ethnic violence refers to violence expressly motivated by ethnic hatred and ethnic conflict . It is commonly related to political violence, and often the terms are interchangeable, or one is used as a pretext for the other when politically expedient. Ethnic violence is a catch... Explore this topic

Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic and volcanic a... Explore this topic

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Myanmar

Rakhine State

Rohingya

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Yul Kwon:
Pakistan isn't the only country going through troubled times. Over in Myanmar, ethnic conflict earlier this month led to the deaths of at least 50 people, with up to 90,000 others being displaced. Today, the violence is mostly over, and soldiers and aid workers are clearing out some of the burnt-out neighborhoods in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State. But many of the migrant Muslims who lived here are still gone, after having fled the violence.

And many native Burmese are also without homes and are crowding into shelters, still afraid to leave.

The violence started after a Burmese woman was raped and killed, allegedly by three Muslim men. In retaliation, a mob dragged ten Muslims off a bus and killed them. And that caused gangs from both communities to go to war.

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