Dozens of villagers stormed a mosque in Bago Region this afternoon, destroying the building as well as a nearby madrasa under construction.
Phone interviews with locals in Tha Yel Tha Mein village suggested those responsible were local Buddhists angry over the plan to build a new Islamic school.
One man, named locally as Abdul Rashid, was injured in the attack, which took place after an argument at his hardware store in the village at around 2pm.
Shareek, a relative of the injured man, said he had been sent to hospital.
“He was building a new madrasa in his compound as the old one in the mosque compound is unusable,” said Shareek.
Speaking to Coconuts Yangon, Myo Kyi, the regional MP for Waw Township, confirmed that the incident had taken place and said the township administrator was on the scene.
“Our lower house MP and the regional minister for Border and Security Affairs went there this evening,” he said. “I don’t know too much as it is hard to reach their phone.”
Tha Yei Tha Mein is a remote village, about 120 miles from Yangon. Of a total 500 households, about 40 are Muslim.
Myanmar has been the site of serious conflict between the majority Buddhist and minority Muslim communities in recent years. Deadly riots in 2012 and 2013 claimed dozens of lives.
Reader Interactions