Burmese officials cancel sermon services in Mandalay to prevent unrest

DVB ( 27 October 2003 )

As a consequence of the religious riots that broke out between Buddhists and Muslims in Kyaukse, it has been learned that Buddhist religious sermon services in Mandalay have been cancelled.

Local residents told DVB that the annual pre-Thazaungdaing festival religious sermon services were cancelled at the last minute by local authorities.

The residents also said that a dispute broke out between some Buddhist monks and Muslim brethren on the third night of a religious sermon service at Daywun Ward in Mandalay on 24 October. Furthermore, a textile shop owned by a Muslim on the Rangoon-Mandalay highway was torched on the night of 24 October. Similarly, residents claimed that about 30 monks and lay people entered a mosque at Chanayethazan Township in Mandalay at 0300 (local time) on 25 October and ransacked the place.

According to the latest reports, mosques in Mandalay have been receiving telephone threats and authorities have positioned large number of security personnel in the vicinity of the mosques. (BBC Monitoring Service)