UN voices concerns over increasing religious violence in Myanmar
The UN’s special human rights envoy to Myanmar, Yanghee Lee, has voiced his concern over the increasing number of attacks on religious buildings. His fears were expressed after two arson attacks on mosques in the space of a week. On 23 June, attackers demolished a mosque and cemetery in Bago region (northeast of the former capital, Yangon), while on 30 June, police failed to stop a mob raze a mosque in Kachin state. The first attack is believed to have resulted from a personal dispute, while the second occurred after the mosque’s leaders failed to meet a deadline to demolish the structure to make way for a new bridge. Myanmar is predominantly Buddhist, and violence against the country’s Muslims has been increasing since 2012. Many belong to the disenfranchised Rohingya, whom the authorities view as illegal immigrants. Violence against them has force more than 100,000 to flee their homes in the past four years.

YANGON, Myanmar — A mob burned down a mosque in northern Myanmar in the second such attack in just over a week, a newspaper reported Saturday.

The state-owned Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said security forces in Hpakant in Kachin State had been unable to control the attackers as they set fire to the mosque on Friday. The attackers were armed with sticks, knives and other weapons, the newspaper said.

It said the mosque’s leaders had failed to meet a June 30 deadline set by the local authorities to tear down the structure to make way for construction of a bridge.

On June 23, a mob demolished a mosque and a Muslim cemetery in a village in Bago Region, about 36 miles northeast of Yangon, reportedly as a consequence of a personal dispute.