Myanmar on Sunday imposed curfews in major towns across western Rakhine state, official media reported, amid fears of further unrest following an eruption of deadly sectarian violence. Television and radio reports said the situation was calm after police and the army stepped in to control rioting on Friday and Saturday that saw hundreds of Buddhist villagers’ homes set ablaze and left seven dead in the state, which borders Bangladesh. The unrest threatens to undermine the reforms of Myanmar’s new government, which took power last year following decades of outright military rule. “Some people are trying to harm public safety and rule of law. We believe there could be some clashes,” state media said announcing the curfew, which covers the state capital Sittwe and three other towns, and runs for 12 hours from 6:00pm (1130 GMT). Groups of more than five people are banned, as are “giving speeches, marching and inciting unrest or any clashes”, the reports said.
