Authorities say 8 killed in fighting between Muslims, Buddhists

Northwest Myanmar was tense on Monday after sectarian violence engulfed its largest city at the weekend, with Reuters witnessing rival mobs of Muslims and Buddhists torching houses and police firing into the air to disperse crowds.

At least eight people were killed and many wounded, authorities say, in the worst communal violence since a reformist government replaced a junta last year and vowed to forge unity in one of Asia's most ethnically diverse countries.

The fighting erupted on Friday in the Rakhine State town of Maungdaw, but has spread to the capital Sittwe and nearby villages, prompting the government to declare a state of emergency late on Sunday and impose a dawn-to-dusk curfew. Foreign aid workers have begun pulling out, aid sources said.

Curfew in towns

The declaration had to be made as unrest and violence in Rakhine State escalated despite the imposition of a curfew in six areas in the state, making it impossible for the government to effectively carry out its administrative work in the region, according to a statement from the government.

The declaration was also aimed at bringing people's security, peace and stability back to normal as soon as possible, it said, adding that the armed forces will be used to help carry out duties effectively.

Plumes of black smoke rose over parts of Sittwe, a port town of mainly wooden houses where Buddhists and Muslims have long lived in uneasy proximity. Some Buddhists were seen carrying bamboo stakes and other makeshift weapons.

"We have now ordered troops to protect the airport and the Rakhine villages under attack in Sittwe," said Zaw Htay, director of the President's Office. "Arrangements are under way to impose a curfew in some other towns."

With fearful residents cowering indoors, security forces patrolling the town collected bodies on Monday from the debris of homes burned down over the weekend.

The Buddhist-Muslim violence poses one of the biggest tests yet for Myanmar's new government as it struggles to reform the nation after generations of military rule. The handling of the unrest will draw close scrutiny from Western powers, which have praised President Thein Sein's administration in recent months and rewarded it by easing years of harsh economic sanctions.

Thein Sein pleaded for an end to the "endless anarchic vengeance", warning that if the situation spun out of control, it could jeopardize the democratic reforms he has launched since taking office last year.

Locals fearful

"We have not had any sleep for the last five days," said Ma Ohn May, a 42-year-old textile shop owner in the coastal port of Sittwe, adding that residents were holed up and bracing for further ethnic clashes, though the area was calm on Monday.

The United Nations said it had temporarily relocated 44 of its 150 personnel in Rakhine state. Local state television said cargo and passenger boats to Sittwe were suspended.

Reuters-Xinhua-AP-AFP