Arakan News Agency
Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in western Myanmar to protest against the work of aid groups they accuse of supporting Muslim Rohingya Muslims, police and a protest leader said on Sunday.
Htai Aung, who has set himself up as a leader of the protesters, told Reuters that Buddhist monks and members of the Rakhine ethnic group had staged demonstrations in 15 towns, including Sittwe, the capital of Arakan state, demanding the immediate departure of relief agencies from the western state.
“We will pretend again and again until our demands are met. If the government does not act, this is their responsibility. ”
Tensions flared in Arakan after seven Buddhists were found in July beaten to death in a mountain area in the north of the state.
The government said it had discovered camps in the middle of the forests that had proven “extremists” involved in the killings and the army had sent more troops into the region this week.
Last month, quantities of biscuits from the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) were found at a suspected Rohingya camp. The Arakan Buddhists accuse the United Nations and other aid agencies of providing Rohingya with aid.
Violence began in Arakan state last October after rebels attacked border guard posts, leading to a crackdown in which security forces were accused of raping, killing and torturing Rohingya civilians.
Some 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims live in Arakan State but do not have basic nationality or services and face restrictions on freedom of movement. About 120,000 Rohingyas still live in the camps, which were set up after violence broke out in 2012 and rely on aid organizations for basic supplies.
Pictures posted on the Internet for Sunday’s demonstrations showed Buddhist monks in their own uniforms carrying slogans reading “We do not want organizations that support terrorism,” demanding the “exit” of UN organizations and other international non-governmental organizations.
