The dust is starting to settle in Tha Yel Tha Mein village in Bago Region nearly a week after a Buddhist mob wrecked Muslim-owned property, including a mosque and a cemetery, on June 23.
The narrative is still a little fuzzy, but the trouble apparently started after an argument between neighbors, which was related to an anti-Muslim Facebook post and the angry reaction from one resident who saw it.
But what’s not in dispute is the destroyed property and the fact that Muslims there were so afraid that they hid in a police station and then left the village.
In most cases, there would be legal consequences, but the Bago police chief says that’s not going to happen.
In a video interview with Radio Free Asia posted on Tuesday, Myo Min Htike, the chief of police for the region, said that in the interest of resolving the issue, no complaints would be filed, at least for now.
“It depends on the victims. For now, the victims are not complaining because they were born, lived in and grew up in this village,” he was quoted as saying. “Their construction materials are being sold to villagers from this village. So they don’t want to open the case against their customers. We will not take action in terms of legislation.”
He also said that the village in collaboration with police had formed a “stability committee” made up of five Muslims and five Buddhists.
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