Amid a recent uptick in violence and recently deployed Myanmar Army troops in Rakhine State, the State Counselor’s Office issued a press release on Friday condemning extremist acts and emphasizing its efforts toward development in the region.
Tension between Rakhine State’s Buddhist and Muslim communities is high as of late, with a number of recent killings and disappearances from both communities. The State Counselor’s Office statement reported 59 people killed and 33 missing this year in the region as of August 9, many of which the government has attributed to “terrorists.”
The statement said that the government was working with security forces to handle the situation in line with the law, but assured that “actions will be taken against all extremists and those who abet their extremism.”
The release emphasized that in an effort to bring about national reconciliation, peace and development in the region, the government was implementing “the provision of humanitarian assistances from both international and domestic resources, and development of basic infrastructure in the region,” with an emphasis on roads, bridges and enhanced electricity.
It added that a curfew would be imposed in necessary areas in order to establish and maintain peace, stability and security in the region.
