REUTERS

SITTWE MYANMAR sent troops and naval vessels to the western state of Rakhine on Saturday after seven people died in the worst fighting in years between minority Muslim Rohingya and Buddhists.

A senior government official said hundreds of Rohingya had rioted on Friday in Buddhist communities and an overnight curfew had been imposed in Maungdaw Township.

It was not clear what had sparked the unrest but the western region has been tense for days after reports of the gang rape and murder of a Buddhist woman blamed on Muslims and the reprisal killing last Sunday of 10 Muslims.

Reuters reporters and local residents saw up to four planes carrying soldiers land at Sittwe airport on Saturday.

State TV said naval vessels had arrived in the area and were patrolling the river and sea off Maungdaw.

Senior government officials including Defence Minister General Hla Min had been dispatched to oversee operations and help with relief work.

MRTV said seven people had died and 17 had been wounded in the unrest on Friday, and around 500 buildings had been destroyed in Maungdaw.

Hmu Zaw, the director of the President’s Office, said on Facebook hundreds of Rohingya had attacked dozens of Buddhist villages in Maungdaw Township.

Police had tried to provide protection, firing warning shots, he said, without noting any casualties.

State media also said warning shots had been fired. One source contacted by phone from Maungdaw said there had been trouble overnight despite the curfew, with Rohingya trying to attack Buddhist homes.

“It’s just like a living hell. I wonder how long we will have to live like this?” said Mya Khin, a housewife.

On Saturday, Maungdaw and nearby villages were reported to be calm but the Arakan National Watch, a local independent Buddhist group, said there had been further violence and deaths overnight in villages near the border with Bangladesh.