Written by Admin on August 22, 2013. Posted in Top Stories, World
A United Nations human rights envoy visiting Myanmar said Wednesday that a confrontation he had with an angry mob made him empathize with victims of the country's deadly sectarian violence. The envoy, Tomás Ojea Quintana, said 200 angry Buddhists mobbed his car after he landed this week in the central town of Meiktila to study reconciliation efforts between Buddhists and Muslims.
He said it was a terrifying experience that hammered home the level of tension in the region. He felt "totally unprotected," he said at a news conference wrapping up his 10-day visit to the country.
"It gave me an insight into the fear residents would have felt" when they were chased, beaten and killed by Buddhist mobs in the town in March, he said. About 40 people were killed then.
The unrest began last year in the western state of Rakhine, where Buddhists accuse Rohingya Muslims of illegally entering the country to steal their land. The violence spread earlier this year to other parts of Myanmar. Nationwide, more than 250 people have been killed and 140,000 forced to flee their homes. Most of the victims have been Muslims. Myanmar is overwhelmingly Buddhist.
News from nytimes.com
http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/mob-swarms-car-of-u-n-rights-envoy/
No comments:
Post a Comment