Myanmar’s government has called for calm after mobs burned down a Muslim orphanage, a mosque and shops during a new eruption of religious violence in the northeastern Shan state.
Authorities imposed a curfew late on Tuesday in Lashio, about 700km northeast of Yangon, after a mob of 200 local residents surrounded a local police station demanding they hand over a Muslim detainee.
Nay Win, 48, a Muslim from a nearby township, was arrested after allegedly setting fire to Aye Aye Win, 24, a Shan Buddhist, earlier in the day after the two had an altercation at a petrol station, Lashio police said.
The woman was admitted to hospital. “According to witnesses, she was not burned seriously but has injuries on her face and arms,” Sai Sam Min, a member of parliament from Lashio, said.
“We imposed the curfew at 9pm (14:30 GMT) on Tuesday to control the angry mob which included Buddhist monks,” a police station spokesman, who asked to remain anonymous, said.
“A mosque and a religious school and some houses were destroyed by the mob, but there were no deaths or injuries”.
Religious violence erupts in Myanmar
