Several houses were burned Sunday, and a curfew was imposed. But on Tuesday, ethnic Rakhine Buddhist mobs began new arson attacks in the region, 270 kilometers (170 miles) northwest of Yangon.
Hundreds of rioters burned “many” Muslim homes in three villages near Thandwe on Tuesday morning, according to a police officer stationed in Thandwe who declined to be identified.
He said the villages included Thabyuchaing, Shwe Hlay and Linthi, all of them about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the town center.
A Muslim resident of Thandwe, Myo Min, said three other villages elsewhere had also been hit, and some Buddhist homes were burned in the mayhem.
A similar incident occurred in Thandwe three months ago when two Muslim houses were burned down after rumors circulated that a woman had been raped by Muslim men.
