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| Armed-Burmese-Buddhists on motorbikes patrolling Lashio. |
The Muslim men were all stout and good fighting age as if
they were selected and prepared for this occasion. On their way towards the
Buddhist monastery they torched Motorbikes on the streets, destroyed the
Buddhist shops, and burned some Buddhist houses.
And the local Buddhists defending their monastery were
waiting for them. But when the two crowds met and the violent clashes started
the armed-police arrived and tried to separate the two crowds.
They fired their guns into air and very soon Burmese had
stopped responding the Muslim-kalar mob. But the Muslims kept on attacking the
Buddhists and 20 year-old Buddhist man Aung Aung fell right before the police
line.
Another 20 year-old Buddhist man Wunna was hit by the
Muslim swords twice. First strike was on the back of his head and the second
clearly chopped his right ear off. Two Burmese women bravely pulled him out off
the danger and asked the policemen to send him to the hospital.
But the police refused to help the wounded Burmese
Buddhists unless they all disarm themselves. So Burmese did drop their weapons
and police put the wounded in their pickup and took them to the hospital.
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| A Muslim rioter arrested by the armed-police. |
They were soon ambushing Buddhist-Burmese and destroying their
vehicles and motorbikes on the streets. One Buddhist motorcyclist lost his arm to
the Muslim mob as they ambushed him in one of the side streets.
According to the local witnesses Buddhists suffered more
casualties than Muslims as they were quickly disarmed by the police and the military
while the armed-Muslims were allowed to roam the streets of Lashio.
At about 3 pm a violent clash occurred between the rival
mobs in the Ward-7 and two Burmese deaths and three Muslim deaths were seen
lying on the main street. Burmese corpses were quickly taken to the hospital
while the Muslim bodies were still on the road till 7 pm when the security took
the bodies away.
So far the casualties are the Muslim dead of Myint Win (Male-55)
and the Buddhist wounded of Khin Khin (Female-52), Wunna Min Htaik (Male-30),
Aung Sung (Male-38), Chit Ko (Male-40), Myint Naing (Male-40), and Khun Zaw Oo
(Male journalist). One mosque, one Islamic orphanage, one Arabic madrassa, and
one Muslim-owned movie-cinema were all burned down to the ground so far.
By 8 pm more soldiers and police have arrived and finally
the volatile situation was under control again. But about 200 Muslim armed-men
were now gathering atop the hill at Ward-5 and the locals were afraid that the
racial clashes would continue tomorrow again.
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| Union Minister for Religion and Shan State PM trying to calm down the locals. |
Lashio Mosques and Madrassas burning by race riots