Arakan News Agency
Myanmar security forces have evacuated hundreds of Buddhist residents and workers from the western state of Arakan because of clashes between the police, the army and the Rohingya rebels.
The authorities evacuated civilians from military areas and border guard areas, the official Xinhua news agency reported Saturday.
Arakan has been witnessing a conflict between Muslims and Buddhists for more than 100 years. The conflict has intensified in recent years after Myanmar moved from civilian to military rule in a military coup in 2011.
The Myanmar authorities have been cracking down on Rohingya Muslims since 2012, killing and burning hundreds of Rohingya homes, and seeking refuge in Bangladesh and the surrounding areas.
Rohingya is an ethnic name belonging to the Indian people’s family and is located in Arakan State, west of Burma or Myanmar. According to official estimates for 2012, 800,000 Rohingyas are in Arakan, considered by the United Nations the most persecuted minority in the world.
