Thein Sein Assures Muslims Protection of Basic Rights

Burmese President Thein Sein has assured minority Muslims rattled by a spate of attacks by Buddhist-led mobs that their fundamental rights will be protected.

"Our government will take the most practical ways to protect the basic rights of Muslims who have been here for a long time," Thein Sein said as he referred to Rakhine state, where deadly clashes between Muslim Rohingyas and ethnic Buddhist Rakhines occurred twice last year.

In the same breath, he said, the government "will never ignore the feelings and demands of the Rakhines."

Thein Sein's assurance came two weeks after the latest clashes between Muslims and Buddhists in Oakkan—a town located about 60 miles (100 kilometers) north of Rangoon—touched off after a Muslim woman bumped into a novice Buddhist monk, knocking over his alms bowl.

The clashes which erupted on April 30 left one dead and nearly a dozen injured before order was restored by police firing warning shots over the heads of mobs. Two mosques were partially destroyed and dozens of homes and shops were burnt to the ground.

A month earlier, at least 43 people were reported dead and thousands, mostly Muslims, driven from their homes and businesses after violence broke out in the central city of Meikhtila and spread to other areas north of Rangoon.

And last year, clashes in Rakhine state in June and October left at least 180 dead and tens of thousands homeless—mostly Rohingyas.

"Every citizen is allowed to practice whichever religion he chooses and everyone has to respect each other," he said. "And the government will protect the religious freedom of all."

Thein Sein said he had ordered security forces to adhere to the rule of law and carry out their duties "without any bias" in Rakhine and that he had also allowed foreign aid to be smoothly channeled into the state.