Myanmar declares state of emergency in west

2012-06-11 549

A state of emergency has been declared in part of western Myanmar after several days of rioting and violence in Rakhine State - despite a build-up of government security forces in the area.

Villagers set fire to houses on the outskirts of Sittwe township.

The attacks are part of long-standing tensions between Buddhist residents and minority Muslims, as Dorsa Jabbari reports.