Curfew in Burma

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Curfew in Burma after monks destroy mosques

March 18; Burmese authorities have imposed a curfew in the northern city 
of Mandalay after two mosques were vandalised by Buddhist monks and 
civilians, a diplomatic source said Tuesday.
They attacked the mosques on Sunday in retribution for an attempted rape 
of a Buddhist girl by some Muslin men earlier in the month, said the 
source, speaking by telephone from Rangoon.
A curfew had since been imposed in certain areas of the city from 8:00 pm 
to 4:00 am and was still in peace, the source said. He added Burmese 
Minister for religion Myo Nyunt travelled to Mandalay on Monday and was 
still reported to be in the city on Tuesday. There has been mention inthe 
official media in Rangoon of the incident. It was uncertain whether there 
had been any casualties during the unrest. An informed Burmese source in 
Rangoon said some 300 monks were involved in the riot and that some shops 
owned by Muslims had been wrecked, as well as the mosques.
A security official in Rangoon, who requested anonymity, confirmed there 
had been unrest in Mandalay and said authorities believed it was 
politically motivated. It was a deliberated attempt to obstruct Burma's 
entry into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations because the 
regional grouping has key members with large Muslim populations, he said. 
Burma is currently an observer in Asean and hope to be granted full 
membership along with Cambodia and Laos in this July, joining Brunei, 
Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.

The Asian Age. (India News Paper)