Burma president Thein Sein visits Rahine after fresh sectarian clashes

Burma's president, Thein Sein, has travelled to the troubled western state of Rakhine as police said Buddhist rioters had killed a 94-year-old Muslim woman and torched more than 70 homes in the latest spate of sectarian violence.

Police said clashes broke out in Thabyachaing village, about 12 miles north of the coastal town of Thandwe, on Tuesday afternoon. They said the 94-year-old woman, Aye Kyi, died of stab wounds and that between 70 and 80 houses were set on fire.

Thein Sein's visit to the divided region was his first since sectarian violence broke out in Rakhine more than a year ago. He arrived in the state capital, Sittwe, and was scheduled to travel to several more towns in the area, including Maungdaw and Thandwe, according to a senior official.

The sectarian clashes have spread from Rakhine to towns and villages nationwide. Hundreds of people have been killed and more than 140,000 have fled their homes, the vast majority of them Muslims.

Thein Sein, who has won plaudits for overseeing the transition from half a century of military rule, has been criticised for failing to contain the unrest and protect the country's Muslim minority.

The latest clashes began in Thandwe on Saturday after a Buddhist taxi driver told police he had been verbally abused by a Muslim small business owner while trying to park in front of his shop, according to a state government spokesman. Police took the Muslim man in for questioning. But when he was later released, people became angry and started throwing stones at his home.

Several houses were burned on Sunday, and a curfew was imposed. On Tuesday, ethnic Rakhine Buddhist groups began new arson attacks. Hundreds of rioters burned many Muslim homes in three villages near Thandwe on Tuesday morning, according to a police.

A Muslim resident of Thandwe, Myo Min, said three other villages had also been hit, and some Buddhist homes were burned.

A similar incident occurred in Thandwe three months ago when two Muslim houses were burned down after rumours circulated that a woman had been raped by Muslim men.

Source: http://www.news.myanmaronlinecentre.com/2014/04/21/burma-president-thein-sein-visits-rahine-after-fresh-sectarian-clashes-2/