Debris on the floor inside the destroyed mosque at Thuye Tha Mein village in Bago on June 24, 2016, after violence erupted on June 23. A mob of around 200 Buddhists rampaged through the area following an argument between neighbors. (Photo by AFP)
Muslims in the southern central part of Myanmar have condemned the latest anti-Muslim violence in Bago division, urging that the government maintain law and order and help with their security in a country that is largely Buddhist.
"This is a test for the government on how they can control the situation so we need to collaborate with them to implement rule of law in the country," said Aye Lwin who is a founding member of Religions for Peace Myanmar, an interfaith group.
The new National League for Democracy (NLD) government that took office in April in Myanmar, is the first civilian administration in the country in more than five decades.
About 200 Buddhist villagers rampaged through Thuye Tha Mein village in Bago Division on June 23 and destroyed parts of a mosque, a madrassa and some houses following an argument among villagers, the state-run newspaper Mirror, reported on June 24.
Calm had been restored since June 23 evening and authorities are trying to solve the problem and will take action to maintain order, it said.
Muslims residents, however, remain in fear and they don't dare stay in their houses, sources said. About 40 Muslim families reside among the 500 Buddhist households in this remote village.
Aye Lwin, who is also Chief Convener of the Yangon-based Islamic Center of Myanmar, told ucanews.com that the latest violence is an "intentional move" to jeopardize the new democratically elected civilian government.
Zaw Min Latt, a Muslim leader from Pray for Myanmar, a Yangon-based interfaith group, said Muslims fearful of their lives had to take refuge at a police station on the night of June 23.
"This shows that minority Muslims have been targeted and discriminated against even under a democratic government," Zaw Min Latt told ucanews.com adding that he doubts local authorities taking action against people who ransacked mosque and Madrassa.
He said Muslims are "very frustrated" being targeted and oppressed since the military dictatorship and even now under a democratic government.
The latest violence has erupted when Yanghee Lee, the United Nations Special Rapporteur is on 12-day visit to the country. She has already met with Muslim and Buddhist leaders in Sittwe, Rakhine state on June 22-23.
Bouts of anti-Muslim violence have erupted since 2012 and poses a major hurdle for Aung San Suu Kyi's new government.
Across the Buddhist-majority country, anti-Muslim sentiments have also triggered conflict, particularly in Rakhine state, when violence in 2012 left more than 200 people dead and forced tens of thousands — mostly Rohingya Muslims — to flee their homes. An estimated 140,000 people in the state still live in temporary camps for displaced people.