KALADAN NEWS

 Dated: Mon November 24, 2003

 Mosques Under Guards During Prayer Times

 Maungdaw, November 24: Mosques at Maungdaw Town are under police guards during prayer times, in the month of Ramadan, since November 9, 2003, according to our correspondent.

On 9th November at around 8:00 pm, while the Muslims were praying inside the mosque of No. 5 quarter of Maungdaw town, a group of Rakhine youths backed by policemen had suddenly torched the mosque and the basic religious school attached to it. Both the mosque and school were made of bamboo and thatched with dhani (sea palm leaves). The school was partly burnt down while the mosque could be saved from the fire, he further added.

During the same week, two other thatch-roofed mosques at the outskirts of Maungdaw Town were set on fire by the unruly Rakhaing youths, but the devotees and mosque goers could put off it, a trader said referring not to mention his name.

 The town dwellers believe that the arson is an attempt to engineer communal riot between Rohingya and Rakhaing communities in Arakan as part of the SPDC’s design recently practiced in Burma Proper resulting in the destruction of some mosques and lives of Muslims. However, with the joint efforts of the Rohingya and Rakhaing leaders of Maungdaw the tense situation could be controlled from spreading, he further added.

 When the matter was brought to the Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) Chairman Captain Hla Po, he assured the Muslims that the arsonists would be found out and punished. But, until now there is no report of arrest, said another trader to our source.

 Again, the Maungdaw District PDC Chairman Lt.Col. Soe Htwee and the Military Intelligence Officer Major Thant Zin accompanied by Maungdaw Township PDC Chairman Captain Hla Po and police officials summoned some Rohingya elite and asked them to refrain from any instigation and to live peacefully. Meanwhile, they assured them of serious action against the culprits. But people are suspicious about the honesty of the authorities, he further added.

 “Burma has traditionally been a religious riot based country, which has so many records of such intimidating outburst of religious violence. The plan to ablaze the mosques was a blatant violation of citizens’ right to have freedom in religious matters. It is also very likely to spoil the country’s image and send worry signals to the outside world,” said a veteran politician in Maungdaw town.##