October 29, 2012
M-Media
Two mosques in Myanmar’s Karen state were attacked by bombs last night.
A bomb exploded at Yay-nan-si-kone Mosque in Kawkareik Township.
A local source told M-Media, “Just after midnight, there was a bomb blast at Yay-nan-si-kone Mosque. There were two bombs but only one exploded. The bomb exploded between the mosque and the fence. Another bomb was at the mosque entrance but it didn’t explode. The military has confiscated it”.
According to Myanmar Muslim Net (www.myanmarmuslim.net), two men on a red motorbike threw two bombs into the mosque compound. One bomb was a military bomb 81; another one was 91 used in the US army. The first bomb exploded at about 20 yards from the mosque.
Another explosion took place in Kyone-Doe Township. Between 11 PM and 12 AM last night, the Jameh Mosque was attacked by a grenade.
A Muslim resident from Kyone-Doe told Myanmar Muslim Net, “Four persons on two motorbikes attacked the mosque. One was wearing a white shirt and the other a safety helmet used by construction workers”.
A resident who lives near the mosque told M-Media, “The bomb exploded at a corner of the compound and the blast didn’t hit the mosque building. There were no casualties but the houses near the mosque were shaken by the blast. There are both Muslim-owned and Buddhist-owned houses in the area. The police have deployed units for security. We have informed the Union Minister General Thein Htay, but there has been no response yet.”
No casualties have been identified.
These attacks in Karen state took place only two weeks after the monks’ meeting in Karen state that issued a statement urging Buddhists to entirely cut relationships, ties and dealings with Muslims.The meeting was attended by state level officers.
Bomb blasts in Karen state are the latest in a series of assault on Muslims in Myanmar since early this year. In April, a mosque in Pakant, Kachin state, was demolished by a group of monks and members of National League for Democracy (NLD).
Again in April, a mosque was destroyed and a Muslim community was attacked in Kamma, Magwe division.
In September, a 74-years old Karen Muslim man in Pa-an was beaten by monks, breaking his ribs. He was hospitalized and died after a month.
Recently in this month, Muslim houses in Yamaethin, Mandalay division, were attacked and destroyed. In Yangon’s outskirts, anti-Muslim newsletter were distributed.
Buddhist monks are actively involved in the anti-Muslim activities across the country. Meanwhile the government has not taken any action against the worsening campaigns.
