Recently in Myanmar Category

Actually, he sent teargas to the Muslim Brotherhood oppressors of Christians. "Obama vows US support as Myanmar leader visits," by Matthew Pennington and Nedra Pickler for the Associated Press, May 21:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Barack Obama on Monday told Myanmar's president during a long-awaited White House meeting that he appreciates the Asian leader's efforts to lead the country on its sometimes difficult path to democracy and assured him of U.S. support.

Obama spoke as he sat in the Oval Office with former general Thein Sein, who became the first president of Myanmar to visit the White House in 47 years. Activists object to the invitation because of concerns over human rights in the country, but it marks a turnaround in international acceptance for Myanmar after decades of isolation and direct military rule....

In a speech at a university in Washington, Thein Sein called for a new era in U.S.-Myanmar relations. On domestic challenges, he vowed to ensure that communal violence between Buddhists and minority Muslims that has claimed hundreds of lives over the past year would be brought to a halt and that all the perpetrators are brought to justice.

Obama said he expressed concern about violence against Muslims in the country. "The displacement of people, the violence directed toward them needs to stop," he said....

Calling for jihad in Myanmar and acting upon that call in Jakarta. "Indonesia radicals urge ‘Myanmar jihad,’" from AFP, May 4:

JAKARTA: Two Indonesians have been detained over a plot to bomb the Myanmar embassy in Jakarta, officials said on Friday, as radicals rallying in the city called for “jihad in Myanmar” to avenge Muslim deaths.

The incidents highlight the growing anger in Muslim-majority Indonesia over a string of religious clashes in largely-Buddhist Myanmar that have left many minority Muslims dead and tens of thousands displaced.

At least one person was killed when mosques and homes were attacked in central Myanmar this week, the latest anti-Muslim unrest to cast a shadow over political reforms in the formerly junta-run country. Around 1,000 angry hardliners from the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) converged on Myanmar’s embassy in Jakarta on Friday, brandishing banners that read “we want to kill Myanmar Buddhists” and “stop genocide in Myanmar”.

They torched the Myanmar flag, while chanting “burn down the embassy” and demanding to speak to officials inside, as hundreds of police in riot gear stood guard. “Our Muslim brothers and sisters are being attacked in Myanmar — they are being raped and murdered,” said Bambang, a 37-year-old street vendor, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. “I want jihad in Myanmar. Anyone mistreating Muslims should be killed.”

The national head of the FPI, Habib Rizieq, shouted through a loudspeaker to whip up the crowd, mostly men wearing white Islamic skullcaps, as they marched on the embassy.

Earlier, officials said anti-terrorist police had detained two men suspected of planning a bomb attack on the Myanmar embassy.

The suspects were arrested late Thursday travelling by motorbike in a busy residential area in the south of the capital with five assembled pipe bombs, national police spokesman Boy Rafli Amar said in a statement.

The men, Sefa Riano, 28, and Achmad Taufiq, 21, planned to launch the attack on Friday, said a senior source at the country’s anti-terrorist police, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The head of Indonesia’s anti-terrorist agency, Ansyaad Mbai, told AFP that the target was the Myanmar embassy.

“We are very certain that the attack would have been launched if we did not stop them,” he said.

A woman, believed to be the wife of one of the men, had also been detained to be questioned as a witness over the planned attack, said Amar....

“I decree that every person who can get to a Buddhist should kill him because they are killing our people and the Muslims cannot be blamed for their reaction.” Of course. They never can be. And to call for the murder of any and every Buddhist because of the alleged misdeeds of some is...characteristic of Islamic supremacists, whose apologists and spokesmen in the U.S. then project that same failing onto their foes, claiming that to resist jihad is to "paint all Muslims with a broad brush."

"Syrian Islamists set sight on Myanmar," by Karen Boulos for Now, April 12 (thanks to The Religion of Peace):

Syrian Islamist [sic] have been attempting to smuggle Muslim extremists into Myanmar, a Syrian Islamist source told NOW.

According to the source, “many attempts have been made to send Jihadists to Myanmar for the sake of our brothers.”

“Contacts with Islamist groups in Pakistan, India and other surrounding countries are being made in order to facilitate their entry into Myanmar.”

The source, however, added that “these attempts have failed.”

Speaking to NOW, Salafist Sheikh Bilal al-Masri called on Muslims to attack Buddhists and their interests.

“I decree that every person who can get to a Buddhist should kill him because they are killing our people and the Muslims cannot be blamed for their reaction.”

The Sheikh also pointed out that there was “a systematic war” against Muslims in Mali, Iraq, Palestine and Myanmar, which “encourages extremism.”

“After all that they call us terrorists.”...

We have long known that the UN was pro-jihad, but these two UN staffers went above and beyond: they were "charged with crimes including promoting hatred between Buddhists and Muslims and participation in arson attacks."

"UN staff jailed in Burma," from the Associated Press, August 27 (thanks to David):

A court in Burma has sentenced two United Nations workers to prison terms for their alleged involvement in a spate of bloody communal violence in the west of the country in June.

The punishments were handed down on Friday in the Rakhine state town of Maungdaw, said Aye Win, a UN spokesman based in Burma. One of those sentenced was an employee of the UN refugee agency and the other the UN World Food Programme.

A spokesperson for the world body's refugee agency in Bangkok, Vivian Tan, called the verdicts "very disappointing".

Tan said a third aid worker employed by another unidentified humanitarian group working with the UN was also convicted.

UN officials said they had no details on the official charges.

The Burma independent newspaper Weekly Eleven reported that the staff members – all believed to be from the local Muslim community – were charged with crimes including promoting hatred between Buddhists and Muslims and participation in arson attacks. The paper cited anonymous court sources in its report, and said the sentences ranged from two to six years....

What have Indian army martyrs got to do with what's happening in Myanmar? Why, nothing, of course.

Source here (thanks to Vidyut). More here (thanks to JW Watcher).

As noted here: "Mumbai police probing conspiracy angle," by Vinaya Deshpande for The Hindu, August 12 (thanks to Satya):

...According to the report, the rioters allegedly molested women constables on duty, snatched two Self-Loading Rifles and one service revolver, 160 live rounds of cartridges, including 150 rounds of SLR and 10 rounds of service revolver. They also desecrated the ‘Amar Jawan’ memorial at CST and tried to burn down police vans with policemen in them....

And then the Muslims claimed victimhood status. We have seen this so many times before. "Rape-Murder of a Buddhist girl by Muslims led to riots: Myanmar Ambassador," by Mumtaz Alam Falahi for TwoCircles.net, July 22 (thanks to Maxwell):

New Delhi: Amidst spreading anger among Muslims in India over the killings of Muslims in Myanmar, the Embassy of Myanmar in New Delhi has come up with first official and detailed explanation about the violent clashes, its origin and the measures the Government of Myanmar has adopted to control the situation and provide relief to the victims.

According to Myanmar Ambassador Zin Yaw, what has happened recently in the Rakhine State of Myanmar was violent clashes and riots between Buddhists and Muslims in the state – it was not one-sided killing of Muslims by another group with the support of the state. According to Yaw, only 79 persons comprising members of both communities have been killed in the riots that started on 30th May 2012. He termed the photos of mass killings of Muslims as fake and described the reports as baseless accusations. He further said that the violent clashes began after the rape and murder of a Buddhist girl by three Muslims in Rakhine State on 28th May.

The ambassador has made this clarification in reply to a letter by Dr Tasleem Ahmed Rahmani, President, Muslim Political Council of India. Mr. Rahmani had written to the ambassador on 19th July seeking appointment for a meeting of Muslim leaders with the ambassador over the reported killings of Muslims in Myanmar....

Main points of the letter of Myanmar ambassador
-- On 28 May this year, a Rakhine Buddhist girl was raped and killed by three Muslims in Kyaukpyu district of Rakhine State. The perpetrators were arrested and put in police custody.

-- On 30 May, 100 people including relatives of the girl and villagers came to the police station asking police to hand over the accused to them. Police refused and opened fire to disperse the mob.

-- On 3 June in a town called Taunggup, a group of about 300 Rakhine Buddhists attacked 10 Muslim passengers on a bus travelling to Yangon. All 10 were killed on the spot. This led to violent clashes between Rakhine Buddhists and Muslims. The situation went out of control.

-- Curfew was imposed by the State Government on 8 June 2012. However, clashes continued. State of Emergency was declared in Rakhine State by the Union Government on 10 June. Army was called in to control the situation. The situation is now back to normal completely.

--During the clashes, both Rakhine Buddhists and Muslims, 79 persons in total, were killed and many injured. It is totally untrue that hundreds or thousands have been killed and that those killed were Muslims. The deaths were caused by either group to each other, not by others. Houses and property worth millions of dollars were destroyed. Thousands of victims have become homeless.

-- The government formed on 6 June 2012 an Investigation Committee headed by the Deputy Minister of Home Affairs to investigate all aspects of the unfortunate incident and submit a report to the President.

-- 30 Rakhine Buddhist suspects have already been detained so far.

-- Relief camps, 72 in total, have been set up separately for Rakhine Buddhists and Muslims. Basic needs of food, clothing and medicines of the victims have been met by the government.

-- In coordination with the government, UN agencies in the country, including UNHCR, UNFPA, WFP and UNOCHA, and INGOs have also been providing humanitarian assistance to the victims.

--Lt. Gen. Thein Htay, Union Minister for Border Affairs and for Myanmar Industrial Development, accompanied by Mr. Vijay Nambiar, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, officials from UN agencies, 15 Muslim leaders from Yangon visited Rakhine State recently

Full text of the letter of Myanmar ambassador

Dear Dr. T.A. Rahmani,
I would like to provide you the following information:-

On what happened:
On 28 May this year, a Rakhine Buddhist girl was raped and killed by three men near one of the villages in Kyaukpyu district of Rakhine State, which is bordering Bangladesh.

Through the investigation conducted by Kyaukpyu district police force, three persons, all Muslims, were exposed to be the perpetrators. They were put under protective custody in Kyaukpyu Jail on the morning of 30 May for fear of revenge from relatives of the deceased girl.

Relatives of the deceased girl and fellow villagers, about 100, went to the police station on the afternoon of 30 May and asked the police station to bring to them the three suspects. The police officers, who are Buddhists, did not allow them to enter the station compound and rejected their claim by saying that action would be taken against the three suspects in accordance with the law. This testifies to respect for law and the rule of law in the country. Unsatisfied with the response from the police officers, the relatives and fellow villagers attempted to enter the police station which compelled the police officers to fire five shots to disperse them.

On 3 June in a town called Taunggup, a group of about 300 Rakhine Buddhists attacked 10 Muslim passengers on a bus travelling to Yangon. All 10 were killed on the spot. The news on killing of 10 Muslims spread to the immediate neighbourhood and Muslims and Rakhine Buddhists in the neighbourhood attacked each other. This communal violence spread quickly to other parts of Maungtaw and then to Buthidaung, Sittway and Yathedaung townships in the Rakhine State where Rakhine Buddhists and Muslims have been living since long. The situation went out of control....

During the unfortunate incident, both Rakhine Buddhists and Muslims, 79 persons in total, were killed and many injured. It is totally untrue that hundreds or thousands have been killed and that those killed were Muslims. The deaths were caused by either group to each other, not by others. Houses and property worth millions of dollars were destroyed. Thousands of victims have become homeless. Both Rakhine Buddhists and Muslims suffered as a result of the lawlessness of a few....

Comment of the Embassy:
The Embassy of Myanmar sincerely hopes that you be well aware that violent clashes take place sometimes not only between different religions but even between different sects of the same religion. Whenever such ugly things happen, not only those who start but also who have nothing to do with such things suffer. The Embassy firmly believes that regardless of what religion one professes, all must live together peacefully based on respect for each other and laws of the country in which we reside. The recent clashes between Rakhine Buddhists and Muslims in the Rakhine State of our country are very unfortunate and the Embassy feels very sorry for all the victims without any reservation.

In Myanmar, Muslims are not only in Rakhine State but also elsewhere as those who profess other religions in the country. Buddhist pagodas and monasteries, Christian churches, Islamic mosques and Hindu temples exist side by side in many cities/towns/localities of the country. This can happen because of the deeply rooted religious tolerance in the country.

Fake photos or false information have been spread with an ill intention to agitate Muslims around the world by attempting to create the impression that Muslims are being discriminated or killed in Myanmar and that such acts are state sponsored. Such are unsubstantiated accusations. Please do not be misled by them.

I would like to request you to kindly share this information with your colleagues.

I wish you and your colleagues all the best.

With warm regards

Zin Yaw
Ambassador

AP reported last month that "the unrest seemed to be a reaction to the June 3 lynching of 10 Muslims by a crowd of 300 Buddhists. The lynch mob was apparently provoked by leaflets discussing the rape and murder last month of a Buddhist girl, allegedly by three Muslim men." So apparently the whole thing began with Muslim violence against Infidels.

"Indonesian Islamic hardliners vow jihad for Rohingyas," from AFP, July 13:

Hundreds of Islamic hardliners protested outside the Myanmar embassy in the Indonesian capital Jakarta on Friday to "stop the genocide" of Rohingya Muslims in the wake of deadly communal unrest.

Around 300 hardliners from organisations, including the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) and Jemaah Anshorut Tauhid (JAT), threatened to storm the Myanmar embassy in Jakarta as some 50 police officers guarded the building.

"If embassy officials refuse to talk with us, I demand all of you break into the building and turn it upside down," a leader on a loudspeaker told protesters, who shouted "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest).

"Every drop of blood that is shed from a Muslim must be paid back. Nothing is free in this world," the man shouted, as protesters carried banners that read "FPI is ready to wage jihad".

"Go to Myanmar and carry out jihad for your Muslim brothers," the man said.

The hardliners left without entering the embassy and proceeded to a UN building to protest.

Communal violence between ethnic Buddhist Rakhine and local Muslims, including the Rohingya, swept Myanmar's Rakhine state in June, leaving dozens dead and tens of thousands homeless.

Around 800,000 Rohingyas live in Myanmar and are considered to be some of the world's most persecuted minorities....

Is there any place in the world where a Muslim minority of any significant size coexists peacefully with its non-Muslim neighbors? And why is it forbidden to ask this question and investigate its answer in Islamic theology and law?

"60 Muslims arrested in Rakhine State," from Mizzima News, June 22 (thanks to Twostellas):

Burmese security forces have arrested 60 people following the latest round of violence between Buddhists and Muslims in western Rakhine state, Radio Free Asia (RFA) said in an article on Thursday.

The arrest came after security forces investigated the deaths of 12 people on Tuesday in Yathetaung Township, said an official and local residents.

Those arrested were sent to the state capital of Sittwe, said RFA.

Hla Myint, the Yathetaung Rakhine Nationalities Development Party chairman, confirmed the arrests, saying the 60 were taken in after police and military security found bodies buried in Anautpyin village and questioned local people.

“Sixty of those who killed and buried [the victims] were arrested and sent to Sittwe today,” he told RFA.

The clashes broke out between Rohingya Muslim villagers from Anautpyin and Rakhine Buddhist villagers from Kutaung early Tuesday morning after several days of relative calm in the region. Sectarian violence has erupted in different townships since May 28.. [sic]

Mizzima reported on Monday that 22 rioters were arrested over the weekend, according to state-run media.

The arrests came as authorities patrolled Chienkhali village to maintain stability, said the New Light of Myanmar. Those arrested carried knives, rods and sharpened sticks, police said.