Myanmar forces deployed to quell riots

Security forces in Myanmar are patrolling a tense town in the western state of Rakhine after deadly sectarian clashes forced the country’s president to declare a state of emergency.Government forces on Monday were seen collecting bodies from the debris of homes burned down over the weekend in what appears to have been one of the worst episodes of sectarian bloodshed in years, as fearful residents remained indoors.Police in the capital, Sittwe, retrieved four bodies, including one found in a river that was believed to be that of an ethnic Rakhine woman. The other three bodies were wrapped in blankets, but it was not clear who they were.Police evacuated two Muslim families from the same area for their security because their homes were located among houses of ethnic Rakhines, who are predominantly Buddhist. The region is home to a Muslim minority who identify themselves as RohingyasResidents from Muslim-dominated town of Maungdaw had taken refuge in the local police headquarters, as a curfew came into force in the troubled areas to restore order.‘Tinderbox’Shops, schools and banks were closed, including Sittwe’s main market, and some ethnic Rakhines wielding homemade swords could be seen guarding their homes or riding motorcycles.An Associated Press photographer in the town saw many homes burned or ransacked in the city’s Mi Zan district.Army troops deployed in the towns of Maungdaw and Buthidaung to help local police keep order, and security officials were reported to have fired shots to quell the violence.Bangladesh border guards also pushed back eight boats carrying more than 300 Rohingya, mostly women and children, who were fleeing the violence, a border guard told the AFP news agency.“There were more than 300 Rohingya in the boats which are coming from the Myanmar city of Akyab (Sittwe). They were carrying mainly Rohingya women and children, many of whom were crying and looked extremely anxious,” Shafiqur Rahman, a major in the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) force, told AFP.“All eight boats have been pushed back to Myanmar territory,” he added.“It’s a tinderbox,” Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said. “These people very much feel like they’re trapped in a box, surrounded by enemies and there is an extremely high level of frustration.”