• Burmese
Friday, June 13, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
27 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News Burma

Sittwe: A City Divided

Moe Myint by Moe Myint
March 3, 2016
in Uncategorized
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0 0
A A
Sittwe: A City Divided

A group of men sit outside a mosque in Aung Mingalar

7.1k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

SITTWE, Arakan State — It has been more than three years since riots shook Arakan State, displacing 140,000, due to religiously motivated violence. Among those affected were members of the region’s ethnic Buddhist Arakanese majority and a disproportionate number of the Muslim Rohingya minority, who are denied citizenship and labeled as “Bengali” migrants by the Burmese government.

Pervasive mistrust, a consequence of the 2012 violence, persists in the Arakan State capital of Sittwe. On a recent visit, The Irrawaddy witnessed the presence of security guards throughout the city, and police checkpoints that have sprung up in the city’s Muslim quarter. There, vacant homes have been transformed into camps hosting security forces.

Locals spoke quietly of living under surveillance, in conditions comparable to house arrest, and of the hope for steps toward the desecuritization of their city.

RelatedPosts

Bangladeshi Islamist Party Proposes Independent Rohingya State in Myanmar’s Rakhine

Bangladeshi Islamist Party Proposes Independent Rohingya State in Myanmar’s Rakhine

April 28, 2025
2.4k
Myanmar Refugees in Limbo, Thailand in Denial

Myanmar Refugees in Limbo, Thailand in Denial

March 22, 2025
2.7k
Bangladesh Arrests Notorious Rohingya Militant Leader

Bangladesh Arrests Notorious Rohingya Militant Leader

March 19, 2025
1.2k

No Permit, No Entry

The Irrawaddy visited Sittwe hoping to interview religious leaders. But authorities prohibit Arakanese visitors to Aung Mingalar, the Muslim quarter—also known by locals as Ambala—as well as Muslim visitors to the Arakanese Buddhist quarters. They say that these restrictions reportedly exist to prevent unexpected violations of the law.

In order to enter the Muslim ward, an official permit is required.

An armed security guard was stationed in front of the Ambala mosque when The Irrawaddy arrived. Mid-conversation with a small group of locals, a uniformed police officer arrived and questioned the presence of visitors.

A policeman keeps watch in Aung Minglalar, Sittwe, where security checkpoints and encampments remain, more than three years after 2012 riots shook the city. (Photo: Thu Mratt)
A policeman keeps watch in Aung Minglalar, Sittwe, where security checkpoints and encampments remain, more than three years after 2012 riots shook the city. (Photo: Thu Mratt)

‘‘We take [responsibility] for the security here and we can’t let strangers go inside. You need an official entitlement to visit this quarter,” he said.

The clearance request for outsiders is not new to Zaw Zaw, a Rohingya Muslim man originally from Rangoon, but who relocated to Sittwe to run a small business.

‘‘If you want to enter this quarter, you need official permission from the Arakan State government,” he said, explaining that any interviews conducted had to be cleared by security officials. Zaw Zaw assumes that police encampments in Muslim quarters have been intentionally placed there for political purposes.

‘‘We have to avoid bad results and need to think deeply about the consequences,” he explained. “We have to concentrate on the stability and development of Arakan State.”

‘House Arrest’

Sittwe’s municipal market once hosted more than 150 shops owned by Aung Mingalar’s Muslim residents. Today they have all closed; restrictions banning Muslims from entering Buddhist Arakanese quarters also keep them from the city’s commercial area.

Alhmet Ohsan, from Sittwe’s Bu May village, told The Irrawaddy that villagers were forbidden to shop or work downtown, so they bought commodities from Thae Chaung, once a village and now a camp for internally displaced Muslims.

He owns a roadside stall and earns a maximum of 3,000 kyats (less than US$ 2.50) per day, an amount insufficient to feed the eight people in his family. Although his house is still standing, more than 40 homes in Bu May were burned down, leading many to seek refuge in IDP camps.

The authorities have allowed some Arakanese to sell goods in the camps, but Muslim Rohingya are not allowed the same privilege, and are restricted from leaving.

Those who evacuated received food and clothing from relief groups, Alhmet claims, but those who remained in the village have not had access to any aid.

‘‘Living in my own house feels better than being in a refugee camp,” he maintains.

Although Alhmet does not regret staying in Bu May, others now feel trapped in their surroundings.

“We feel like we are under house arrest,” said Mhamat Husein, an administrator for a Muslim neighborhood within Ambala.

Changed Relationships

Zaw Zaw said his friendships with Buddhist Arakanese have also suffered in recent years.

‘‘After the violence occurred … our relationship changed,” he said. “Now we are building a mutual relationship. When we meet on the street, we say ‘hello.’ Sometimes we talk about business, but it’s still difficult to get back to normal conditions.’’

An influential monk, Badanta Dhamika, head of Thathana Ranthi monastery in Sittwe’s Bouk Thee Suu quarter, mediated between the Muslim and Buddhist communities during the violence of 2012. From his point of view, the situation is a “game” played by the Burmese government to exploit both sides; both will be victims, and opportunists will take advantage of their weaknesses, he explained.

Badanta Dhamika told The Irrawaddy that the authorities use communal mistrust and tension as a justification to station security guards in the Muslim neighborhoods.

‘‘I think that the long-term guarding [of the city quarters] is unreasonable and it’s not solving the problem,” he said. “We have to find the root causes [of what] happened.”

His hope is that the authorities will gradually decrease the number of police in the area.

“In some places, they should test [a reduction of security forces],” the monk said. “If it is successful in one place, they can do the same in other places.”

Zaw Zaw agreed with Badanta Dhamika’s suggestion that changes should be introduced in small stages. Mistrust runs high; an integrated Sittwe where Buddhist Arakanese and Muslim Rohingya live together is still hard for many locals to imagine.

Little government action has been taken to address the deep rifts in the city. Dr. Kyaw Yin Hlaing, an advisor to outgoing President Thein Sein, led a team formed in 2014 to assist in building peace in Arakan State. One aim of the initiative was reportedly to decrease tension between the region’s two religious communities. Both sides requested that a dialogue be arranged but, two years later, such talks have not been organized.

The Irrawaddy contacted Kyaw Yin Hlaing by phone, but he could not be reached.

Unsure of where to turn, members of the two communities said they are looking ahead to Burma’s incoming NLD-led government to address the legacy of violence still evident in the Arakan State capital.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: A_FactivaConflictMoreRefugees
Moe Myint

Moe Myint

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Myanmar Youth Exodus Feared in Wake of Junta’s Conscription Law
Burma

Myanmar Youth Exodus Feared in Wake of Junta’s Conscription Law

by The Irrawaddy
February 15, 2024
15.7k

Activists warn of increased labor rights violations in Thailand and human trafficking as young people flee to avoid mandatory military...

Read moreDetails
By Almost Every Measure, Myanmar Junta Ranks Among World’s Worst Regimes
Analysis

By Almost Every Measure, Myanmar Junta Ranks Among World’s Worst Regimes

by Khin Nadi
February 2, 2024
10.8k

The Irrawaddy unpacks the regime’s three-year track record of violence and rights abuses, as assessed by leading global organizations and...

Read moreDetails
Karen Ethnic Army Launches Final Push to Capture Myawaddy on Thai Border
Burma

Karen Ethnic Army Launches Final Push to Capture Myawaddy on Thai Border

by The Irrawaddy
April 9, 2024
10.3k

The KNLA and PDF groups launched an attack on the last junta battalion defending Myawaddy on Tuesday afternoon and were...

Read moreDetails
Illegal Entry Arrests Surge in Thailand Amid Forced Military Conscription in Myanmar
Myanmar’s Crisis & the World

Illegal Entry Arrests Surge in Thailand Amid Forced Military Conscription in Myanmar

by Brian Wei
May 30, 2024
9.4k

More than half of the soaring number of people being detained at the border said they were fleeing conscription, a...

Read moreDetails
Clashes Resume on Thai-Myanmar Border
Burma

Clashes Resume on Thai-Myanmar Border

by AFP
April 20, 2024
7k

Myanmar junta troops near the Second Friendship Bridge to Thailand are holding out against anti-regime forces.

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta Causes Thailand Problems
Guest Column

Myanmar Junta Causes Thailand Problems

by Paul Greening
March 7, 2024
6.8k

The multiple crises on Thailand’s border sparked by the Myanmar junta’s failed coup could present opportunities for Bangkok, but so...

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
USDP’s Five-Year Term Sees $23b in FDI: Investment Official

USDP’s Five-Year Term Sees $23b in FDI: Investment Official

Kachin Anti-Opium Campaigners Anticipate Lawsuit

Kachin Anti-Opium Campaigners Anticipate Lawsuit

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

The Hidden Fallout From China’s Cross-Border Crime Crackdown in Myanmar

The Hidden Fallout From China’s Cross-Border Crime Crackdown in Myanmar

4 days ago
1.4k
How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

How the Myanmar Military’s Propaganda Efforts Have Evolved Over the Decades

2 days ago
919

Most Read

  • Civilians in Need as Arakan Army Advances on Kyaukphyu

    Civilians in Need as Arakan Army Advances on Kyaukphyu

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Advances into Karenni State

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Jade Hub Burns as Junta Counteroffensive Penetrates Hpakant

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • China Defends Myanmar Junta on Human Rights at UN

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • High-Level Ministerial Meeting Held to Speed Up Preparations for Myanmar Junta’s Election

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.