RANGOON — According to state media, the state of emergency that had been placed on Arakan State in June 2012 following communal riots was lifted on Monday.
The emergency was originally declared by the government of Burma’s outgoing President Thein Sein due to escalating violence between Arakanese Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims and allowed the military greater participation in the administration of the region.
Government media reported on Tuesday that President Thein Sein had lifted the state of emergency because the Arakan regional government had declared that tensions between the two groups no longer posed a threat to local communities.
A series of riots between Arakanese Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims erupted in June 2012, displacing an estimated 140,000 people, the majority of whom were Rohingya.
