Source: The Irrawaddy
VIENTIANE—In a meeting with President Thein Sein on Tuesday at the sidelines of the Asia-Europe Summit in Laos, UK Foreign Secretary William Hague urged “all political parties in Burma to do what they can to end the violence and address the issue of Rohingya citizenship.”
Hague and Thein Sein are attending the ninth ASEM summit in the Laotian capital, along with leaders of European and Asian countries.
Burmese Foreign Minister Wunna Maung Lwin told The Irrawaddy on Tuesday afternoon that the Arakan (Rakhine) strife was “not the fault of the government or the people of Myanmar” while admitting that action was being taken to avoid the spread of violence.
“There was an unfortunate incident that happened in the last week of May and that created anger among the native people. This led to communal violence between two communities,” he said.
“Because of this anger there were revenge incidents that spread to other parts of Rakhine State. The government has been handling with great caution and care so this cannot spread to other places and affect peace and stability in the country.”
Thein Sein would not comment on the summit when approached by The Irrawaddy while leaving a lunchtime meeting on Tuesday.
Categories: Asia, Burma, Burmese Muslims, Myanmar