At the entrance to Thaungtan village there\u2019s a brand-new sign, bright yellow, that bears the message: \u201cNo Muslims allowed to stay overnight. No Muslims allowed to rent houses. No marriage with Muslims.\u201d<\/p>\n
The post was erected in late March by Buddhist residents of the village in Myanmar\u2019s lush Irrawaddy delta region who signed, or were strong-armed into signing, a document asserting that they wanted to live separately.<\/p>\n
Since then a couple of other villages across the country have followed suit. Small but viciously insular, these \u201cBuddhist-only\u201d outposts serve as microcosms of the festering religious tensions that threaten Myanmar\u2019s nascent experiment with democracy.<\/p>\n
After decades of military rule, Myanmar has entered a new era. As state counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi<\/a> is in charge, though key institutions remain under the army\u2019s control.<\/p>\n Recent weeks, however, have brought a surge in nationalist activity. Scores rallied outside the US embassy in Yangon last month to demand diplomats stop using the word Rohingya<\/a>to describe millions of Muslims confined to internal displacement camps and villages in western Myanmar. Nationalists insist the group are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh. \u00a0Read the complete article at The Guardian<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" At the entrance to Thaungtan village there\u2019s a brand-new sign, bright yellow, that bears the message: \u201cNo Muslims allowed to stay overnight. No Muslims allowed to rent houses. No marriage with Muslims.\u201d The post was erected in late March by … Continue reading