Students in Yangon hold candlelit vigil for recent attacks in Rakhine State

Record ID: 908654

  • Title: Students in Yangon hold candlelit vigil for recent attacks in Rakhine State
  • Date: 3rd September 2017
  • Summary: YANGON, MYANMAR (SEPTEMBER 3, 2017) (REUTERS) PEOPLE GATHERING NEAR CITY HALL IN YANGON VARIOUS OF RAKHINE UNIVERSITY STUDENTS STANDING AND HOLDING ROSES STUDENTS PRAYING VARIOUS OF PEOPLE PUTTING ROSES ON THE GROUND (SOUNDBITE) (Burmese) MEMBER OF RAKHINE UNIVERSITY STUDENT UNION, ZIN LIN AUNG, SAYING: "I want to ask (the government) why they (villagers) are not valued as they don't live in the city? I want the government to protect the people (from insurgents) without any hesitation." PEOPLE GATHERING (SOUNDBITE) (Burmese) MEMBER OF RAKHINE UNIVERSITY STUDENT UNION, AUNG SAN WIN, SAYING: "We are facing Neo-Colonialism now (in Rakhine State). That's why I want to say that (the issue of) Rakhine is not a thing to play with politically among the government. We are facing aliens (Rohingya) from another world. The government should see terrorists as terrorists and there should be no excuse for them." BALLOON AND ROSE BEING HELD INTO THE AIR
  • Embargoed: 17th September 2017 15:28
  • Keywords: Student protest Yangon Rohingya State candlelit vigil insurgent attack
  • Location: YANGON, MYANMAR
  • City: YANGON, MYANMAR
  • Country: Myanmar
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice
  • Reuters ID: LVA0016X1JDJ9
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: About a hundred protesters gathered in Myanmar's commercial capital Yangon on Sunday (September 3), calling for the authorities to step up security measures in northern Rakhine to protect ethnic Rakhine Buddhists.
    Dozens of people gathered near the Sule Pagoda in Yangon laying flowers and placing candles for those killed during the recent attacks in Rakhine State.
    Myanmar urged Muslims in the troubled northwest to cooperate in the search for insurgents, whose coordinated attacks on security posts and an army crackdown have led to one of the deadliest bouts of violence to engulf the Rohingya community in decades.
    University students gathered at the vigil questioned the security put in place in the conflict zone, while others were urging the government to take serious action following the attacks.
    More than 11,700 "ethnic residents" had been evacuated from northern Rakhine, Myanmar's government has said, referring to non-Muslims.
    Aid agencies estimate about 73,000 Rohingya have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh from Myanmar since violence erupted last week, Vivian Tan, regional spokeswoman for U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, told Reuters on Sunday.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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