At least 112 people have been killed and thousands of homes torched in Buddhist-Muslim violence in western Myanmar, casting a shadow over the reformist government’s attempts to remake the country’s international image. People have fled their homes in droves following the latest clashes in Rakhine state, which was rocked by communal violence in June that split communities and left tens of thousands of mainly Muslim Rohingya living in camps. “Up until this morning, 51 men and 61 women have died,” a spokesman for Rakhine state Win Myaing said, doubling an earlier toll. The dead were from both sides, he added, while scores more were wounded as violence engulfed four townships. More than 200 people have now been killed in the state since June, according to the authorities, who have imposed emergency rule in the face of continued explosive tension in the region. The United Nations responded to the bloodshed Friday with a stark warning that Myanmar’s reforms are under threat from the continued unrest between ethnic Rakhine and the Rohingya.
