Burmese Security Forces Stood by as Buddhists Attacked Muslims

Burned neighborhoods to the ground

Not one bullet was fired, not one smoke bomb was dropped as scores of Muslims were attacked and some were burnt alive in Myanmar last week. The security forces just looked on. In a country where they routinely use brute force against political dissidents, villagers who protest land grabs and even monks, their passivity was sadly revealing.

The violence stemmed from a trivial row over a broken gold clip between a Muslim jeweller and a Buddhist customer a week ago.