(Volunteers distribute food at a Buddhist monastery used as a collective shelter for those displaced by recent violence in Sittwe June 17, 2012. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun)
As security forces police the edgy aftermath of sectarian bloodshed in western Myanmar, fearful Buddhists and Muslims are arming themselves with homemade weapons, testing the government’s resolve to prevent a new wave of violence.
Despite government claims that peace has been restored, one Buddhist was shot dead and another wounded on Tuesday when security forces opened fire in Kyauknimaw on Ramree Island, according to official sources in the Rakhine State capital of Sittwe.
Hand grenades were thrown on Sunday night at two mosques in Karen State in the east of the country, domestic media reported, causing no casualties but raising fears of rising anti-Muslim sentiment elsewhere in Myanmar.
The violence between Buddhist Rakhines and Muslim Rohingyas has killed 84 people and wounded 129 since Oct. 21, according to an official toll, in Myanmar’s biggest test since a reformist government replaced a military junta 18 months ago.
