Monday, 03 September 2012 15:52 Mizzima News
Hundreds of Buddhist monks turned out in Mandalay on Sunday to march in support of Burmese President Thein Sein’s proposal to send member of the Rohingya Muslim minority group to another country.
The march was another sign of the deep resentment toward Rohingya Muslims who live in western Burma, where communal unrest has gripped the country for more than three months, although reports say the area is quieter now than in past weeks.
The monks held a banner saying, “Save your motherland Myanmar by supporting the president,” according to a report by The Associated Press.
President Thein Sein suggested in July that Burma send all Rohingya to any country willing to take them, a proposal quickly opposed by the UN refugee agency.
Many Burmese consider the Rohingyas to be illegal migrants from Bangladesh, but Bangladesh also rejects them, rendering them stateless.
The UN estimates that 800,000 Rohingya live in Burma.
Meanwhile, the Narinjara news agency has reported that Burma’s minister of tourism has told travel tour agencies not to send foreigners to Rakhine State, where the unrest earlier claimed up to 89 lives and destroyed nearly 5,000 homes and businesses.
Hundreds of Buddhist monks turned out in Mandalay on Sunday to march in support of Burmese President Thein Sein’s proposal to send member of the Rohingya Muslim minority group to another country.
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| Burmese Buddhist monks rally on the streets of Mandalay on Sunday, September 2, 2012, as they support the country's president, Thein Sein, and protest against the UN stance over the recent violence in Rakhine State. Photo: AFP |
The march was another sign of the deep resentment toward Rohingya Muslims who live in western Burma, where communal unrest has gripped the country for more than three months, although reports say the area is quieter now than in past weeks.
The monks held a banner saying, “Save your motherland Myanmar by supporting the president,” according to a report by The Associated Press.
President Thein Sein suggested in July that Burma send all Rohingya to any country willing to take them, a proposal quickly opposed by the UN refugee agency.
Many Burmese consider the Rohingyas to be illegal migrants from Bangladesh, but Bangladesh also rejects them, rendering them stateless.
The UN estimates that 800,000 Rohingya live in Burma.
Meanwhile, the Narinjara news agency has reported that Burma’s minister of tourism has told travel tour agencies not to send foreigners to Rakhine State, where the unrest earlier claimed up to 89 lives and destroyed nearly 5,000 homes and businesses.
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