10 May 2017

Myanmar police quell Buddhist-Rohingya Muslim violence

9:46 pm on 10 May 2017

Police in Myanmar's main city Yangon have fired warning shots to break up a confrontation between Buddhists and Muslims that left at least one person injured.

A Myanmar riot policemen sits in a truck on a street in Yangon's Mingalar Taung Nyunt township early on May 10, 2017, after scuffles broke out between Buddhist nationalists and Muslims.

Myanmar riot policemen sits in a truck on a street in Yangon's Mingalar Taung Nyunt township early on May 10, 2017, after scuffles broke out between Buddhist nationalists and Muslims. Photo: AFP

They said the confrontation began when Buddhist hard-liners entered a Muslim neighborhood claiming ethnic Rohingya Muslims were hiding "illegally" in the area.

It was the latest manifestation of rising anti-Muslim sentiment in the predominantly Buddhist nation, where ultra-nationalist Buddhist monks and their supporters forced the closure of two Muslim schools in Yangon last month.

Rohingya in Myanmar are largely denied citizenship and basic rights.

The majority of them live in western Myanmar and cannot travel without special permission.

- ABC

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