Over 1,000 in Mandalay Protest Mining Activities

The mining sector in Burma continues to receive flak, with protestors taking to the streets in Wetthay and Phetshay villages in Thabeikkyin, Mandalay.

On 30 August, the villagers protested against the encroaching mining activities on village land and the displacement of more than 150 households. Aimed at gold mining companies such as Myanmar Golden Pwint, Shwe Pyi Thar and Htarwarra, along with other metal mining companies in the region, the protestors condemned the breaching of boundary lines by these companies and expanding mining activities onto legally recognized village land […]

Anti-Muslim Violence in Central Burma

A tense calm prevails after deadly religious violence hit Central Burma in March, with anti-Muslim attacks reported in four townships in Mandalay Division and eight townships in Pegu Division. According to official figures, the violence in Meikhtila, Mandalay Division, killed 44 people and displaced over 12,800. As of 9 April, over 8,400 people remain displaced […]

Communal Violence Spreads as Security Forces Stand By

Starting on Wednesday, 20 March, Burma saw a shocking return to the communal violence that engulfed Arakan State last year. In the central town of Meikhtila, Mandalay Division, attacks on people and property, have left at least 32 dead, religious and residential buildings burned to the ground, and more than 6,000 displaced. They are mainly Muslim people who are now living in a temporary refugee camp in a football stadium, 2 miles out of town.

The spark that lit the fuse in Meikhtila was an argument in a gold shop on Wednesday between the Muslim owner and Buddhist customer. A fight broke out and later that day a mob arrived to destroy the shop and nearby Muslim-owned businesses. Fighting in the street escalated as sections of the two communities fought, and by the end of Friday, an unconfirmed number of people had been killed. President Thein Sein declared a State of Emergency on Friday afternoon and order was restored by Saturday morning. The official death toll from the government is 32, announced on state television on Saturday night, but other sources are claiming over 100. It is difficult to attain reliable figures as journalists, both domestic and foreign, were threatened by mobs and some had to hide in a monastery […]

CSW Urges Burmese Government to Take Action to End Rising Religious Intolerance

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is deeply concerned about a dramatic increase in religious intolerance in Burma, illustrated most dramatically in the recent crisis in the central Burmese town of Meiktilar. CSW calls on the Burmese government to take decisive action to secure the safety of citizens in Meiktilar, where a state of emergency has been declared following three days of sectarian violence that has resulted in at least 20 deaths […]

Urgent Action Needed to Save Muslims in Burma from Pre-Planned Violence

On 20th March 2013 at 10am, a Buddhist couple from Meiktila Township entered a gold shop to try and sell some fake gold and started to threaten and abuse the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper, who tried to defend himself with a stick, suffered a head injury.

After half an hour, a crowd gathered and started stoning the shop and destroyed it. Two hours later, a big crowd came to the town and started destroying property, Muslims’ shops, mosques and houses were burnt down […]

Farmers Block Tractor to Protest Land Grabs

Three farmers from Mandalay Division, whose land has been confiscated, lay in front of a tractor belonging to the accused company on Wednesday in order to halt work and highlight their claims.

The farmers, from Oh Pyun Kan Village of Wundwin Township, Meikhtila District, accuse Kaungkin Company of illegally seizing land that has been in their families for generations and pledged to fight until death to win back what was stolen […]