November 29th 2013
M-Media
The City Development Committee of Meikhtila bans the renovation of the two mosques damaged during the conflict, though the Region Administration has approved oral permission During the mob violence to the Muslim community at Meikhtila on the 20th of March this year, many mosques were also burnt and damaged.
The Mandalay Region Administration has orally approved to renovate some of those damaged mosques since July, during the Muslim’s fasting month of Ramadan. Yet, it was reported that on the 23rd of November, the Meikhtila City Development Committee banned the ongoing renovation of the two mosques, the Turkey Mosque in downtown Meikhtila and the Nandawgone Mosque from Nandawgone Quarter, in the issued letter mentioning those mosques are getting renovated without approval.
Regarding this, M-Media contacted the Muslim Locals from Meikhtila, and they said that after the violent attack, the Mandalay Region Administration has orally approved them both to resume the daily prayers at those damaged mosques and to renovate them including the abovementioned two mosques, and when they asked for the official written approval they were told it could not be issued. Now the renovation process has been halted though the daily prayers are performed as usual.
During the three-day mob violence from the 20th to the 22nd of March 2013, according to the government’s press release, almost forty people were killed, the Muslim-populated quarters, thirteen mosques and three religious schools were burnt. More than 20,000 Muslims fled their homes due to the brutal killings, and have had to take refuge in the camps.
As it could be seen in the photos and videos documented during the violence, the police and the authorities failed to protect the victims, let alone quell the mob before them. It has been openly and widely criticized that there were no effective and adequate legal actions against the criminals even after the violence, too.
As an unusual coincidence, two days after the letter banning the ongoing renovation of mosques has been released, on the 25th of November, at least three video-clips documented during the mob attacks, which have not been revealed earlier, were uploaded in the social media.
The Facebook account https://www.facebook.com/win.htetko.16 which is supposed to be the first to upload these video-clips has now deleted the two clips that was uploaded on the 25th.
