Myanmar’s Rakhine ethnic people pray at Shwedagon pagoda on Saturday, June 9, 2012, in Yangon, Myanmar. A group of some 150 Rakhine ethnic nationals and Buddhist monks went to the Shwedagon Pagoda – Myanmar’s most revered Buddhist shrine – to say prayers for those killed in sectarian violence in western Rakhine state.YANGON, Myanmar (AP) – Myanmar’s president has declared a state of emergency in a western state where sectarian tensions between Buddhists and Muslims have unleashed deadly violence. He warned that if the situation spun out of control, it could jeopardize the democratic reforms he has been instituting since taking office last year.
It is the first time Thein Sein has invoked the measure since becoming president. A state of emergency effectively allows the military to take over administrative functions for Rakhine State, a coastal region that borders Bangladesh.
The move follows rioting on Friday in two Rakhine areas that state media say left at least seven people dead and 17 wounded, and saw hundreds of houses burned down. The unrest spread on Saturday and Sunday, though order was said to have been restored in the areas shaken by Friday’s violence.
In a nine-minute speech televised nationally Sunday night, Thein Sein said that the violence in Rakhine State was fanned by dissatisfaction harbored by different religious and ethnic groups, hatred and the desire for vengeance.
“If this endless anarchic vengeance and deadly acts continue, there is the danger of them spreading to other parts and being overwhelmed by subversive influences,” he said. “If that happens, it can severely affect peace and tranquility and our nascent democratic reforms and the development of the country.”