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Muslim Rohingya man stands next to the ruins of his burned house Oct. 12, 2012 on the edge of the Aung Mingalar quarter, which was turned into a ghetto after violence wracked the city of Sittwe, capital of Burma's western Rakhine state. (Christophe Archambault/AFP/Getty Images)
Burma on Wednesday imposed an overnight curfew on several towns in restive Rakhine state following the latest outbreak of violence between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims.
On Tuesday, hundreds of houses were burned to the ground in the western state that borders Bangladesh.
Police were deployed to the towns of Min Bya and Mrauk Oo, reported the BBC, and a curfew from dusk to dawn has been imposed in this area.
Since Sunday, at least 1,039 homes have been burned to the ground in the violence reported the state-run New Light of Myanmar and at least four people are dead.
Myo Thant, spokesman for Rahkine state, told the BBC: “Houses are burning and clashes between the two communities are ongoing.”
“The most important thing is to put out the fires. We are trying to control the situation,” he said.
He said that fighting spread to Kyauk Phyu and Myebon, located south of Rahkine’s capital, Sittwe.
Rakhines have been demonstrating for several weeks in opposition to a proposal from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which has requested to open an office in Rakhine state to provide aid to Rohingyas affected by the violence.
The clashes flared in June between members of the two ethno-religious groups after the rape of a Buddhist woman by three Muslim men in late May.
At least 90 people have been killed since then, 3,000 homes have been destroyed, and dozens of temples and mosques have been destroyed as well, The Associated Press reported.
Thousands of Rohingya Muslims streamed across the border to Bangladesh and are now living in makeshift camps, but many have been turned back.
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