Myanmar vows to take action against instigators of Rakhine violence
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Yangon - Myanmar authorities vowed to investigate the latest outbreak of sectarian violence in the western state of Rakhine and take legal action against the instigators, state media reported Sunday.
The army's commander-in-chief, Lieutenant General Hla Min, pledged to investigate last week's violence, which killed at least 67 people and injured 95, and prosecute those behind the latest fighting between the state's Muslim and Buddhist communities, the New Light of Myanmar reported.
Hla Min on Friday led a delegation, including representatives from UN organisations, to the northern township of Myebon near Sittwe, Rakhine's capital, 500 kilometres north-west of Yangon.
The border affairs minister, Lieutenant General Thein Htay, called on the local communities to consider the interest of the state rather than concentrate on hatred, enmity and acts of revenge.
"At a time when the government is embarking on economic reforms to invite foreign investments and create jobs for people, instability like this has a certain impact on efforts of the State," Thein Htay said.//DPA
