Rohingya Muslim Mob Attacks Villagers in Northern Rakhine

A Rohingya Muslim mob attacked and injured two ethnic Rakhine residents of Thaye Koneboung village in Myanmar’s conflict-torn northern Rakhine state on Thursday, the latest bout of violence amid growing tension between Buddhist and Muslim communities in the ethnically and religiously divided state.

About 30 Rohingya attacked the men with knives and sticks in the village in Maungdaw township, said Tin Aung, administrator of Thaye Koneboung village. His account could not be independently verified in a conflict zone under tight army control.

“We don’t know why they approached and attacked these villagers,” he said. “Local witnesses said only four people attacked them, though the rest were standing around.”

One of the injured was taken to the hospital, he said.

The incident is further proof that trust has been lost between the two communities and people are still provoking each other, he said.

Aung Than Tin, a resident of Thaye Koneboung village said those injured were part of a seven-member group who had left the area to go fishing.

“The attackers spoke their own language, and villagers couldn’t understand them,” he said. “As these Muslims attacked them, the villagers ran away, but two people were injured.”

The villagers filed a report at their local police station as well as at Myoma Police Station in Maungdaw, he said.

Full story: rfa.org

Reported by Min Thein Aung and Wai Mar Tun for RFA’s Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.