"ANTI-MUSLIM VIOLENCE BREWING IN SANDOWAY OR THANDWE URGENT URGENT URGENT URGENT

Credit:Maung Zarni  ACTION NEEDED: ban 969 and the RNDP (Rakhine Nationality Development Party). Plans are underway to burn Muslim neighborhoods in Sandoway or Than-dwe, with families inside after 9 pm local time - any day. There has been a 9pm - 4 am curfew known as "Muslim Curfew" because non-Muslims are largely unaffected by the curew. Authorities only enforce the curfew against the Muslim, with 6-month prison sentence. here is a sequence of events since yesterday: 28 Sept: a 969-follower and a member of the Rakhine Nationality Development Party chaired by Vet Aung Maung (MP from Ramree based in Naypyidaw) who works as a motorcycle taxi-driver parked his motorcycle in front of a shop owned by a Karman Muslim named Haji U Kyaw San Hla. The shop-owner told off the taxi-driver as the cycle was blocking the shop's loading area for the disel engines for motorboats. the 969 and RNDP member taxi-driver threatened to destroy the shop, mobilizing his network, and came around with 10+bikers and threw stones at the shop and repeated the threats of violence against the Karman muslim shopkepper U Kyaw San Hla. The Sandwe police summoned the Muslim shopowner and asked him to sign a paper pledging not to behave 'rudely' again and was released him on the signed pledge. Already about 200-strong mob came to to the police station, where Muslim shop owner was being questioned and lectured by the police. Nothing happened yesterday. 29 Sept - Sunday: at 2 pm, several thousand-strong 969 and RNDP crowd went to the 2-story wooden house/residence of Chairman of the local Karman Muslim Organization, named Haji U Khin Maung Latt. His house was located right across from Sandoway/Thandwe City Hall. they threw petrol bombs and burned the house down completely. Lon-htein, a hybrid of military and riot police came, and so did the Army troops to the city hall area where Haji U Khin Maung Latt's house was still on fire. They fired warning shots into the air, but didn't stop the mob from their arson attacks. The troops also blocked any road leading to the burning house and the City Hall so that no Muslim residents from other parts of the town could enter the area to offer any assistance or help put out the fire. The family escaped the attack. Sandoway's sole fire engine couldn't do anything to extinguish the fire, which burned the wooden house to the ground. ============================ Here is demographic and political info: Sandoway's population is made up of Burmanized Rakhine, mixed Rakhine-Bama familes, Karman muslims, etc. there have been no religious conflicts or communal conflicts among these residents. in terms of Muslim-Buddhist make-up, it's about half and half. Karman Muslims are, even by 1982 Citizenship Act and other associated laws, recognized as 'Taiyin-thar' or ethnic natives of Burma. Many maintain close ties with the authorities. However, at the time of this crisis, the authorities show no interest in or signs of protecting the Karman muslims from the 969 and the ultra-nationalists/neo-Nazi Rakhine Nationalities Development Party (RNDP), the second largest party in Rakhine representing the Rakhines, after the ruling USDP. ============================= the surrounding areas are small settlements and coastal villages where many Rakhine, Bama and other laborers work in the fishing industry. ============================= Many of these laborers from places as far as GWA and other migrant labor settlements are said to be paid and bused into Sandoway by the 969 and RNDP. ============================== Key anti-Muslim leaders (969 and RNDP are very close and there are overlapping personalities who are connected to both Nazi campaigns): 1) a key leader of the 969 - is a Karman convert to Buddhism named Mr Tun Thant Kyaw 2) several Bama or Burmese Buddhists who are very active leaders and funders of the anti-Muslim campaign a) Mr Win Ko Lay - a diesel oil seller (for the fishing and other boats) b) Mr Thein Win,the owner of a pharmacy named U Waziya c) Mr Tu Tu, owner of Aung Myan Mar bus/taxi station they are funding and managing the campaign. They are very active in the ultra-nationalist campaign of the Rakhine party (RNDP Aye Maung's party). MONKS: there are 969 monk leaders: 1) Nyaung Bin Thar Monastery Abbot 2) Pearl Monastery abbot The muslims, karmans and others, feel the State and its organizations are NOT going to protect them in the likely event of a 969/RNDP attacks, arson and loot. They want the truths out to the world. The least you can do is spread the word, in hopes that truth may wake the conscience of some in this world who might be in a position to pressurize the Burmese regime into banning both the RNDP and 969 and to pressure Thein Sein Government to protect the Muslims."

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