A top aide to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is visiting western Burma, where security forces are presiding over an uneasy calm following days of deadly sectarian clashes between Buddhists and Muslims.

U.N. officials told VOA that Vijay Nambiar, the international body's top envoy for Burma, arrived Wednesday in western Rakhine state. Nambiar is visiting the city of Maungdaw, scene of much of the violence that has left at least 21 people dead in recent weeks.

President Thein Sein has declared a state of emergency and sent army troops into Rakhine, where a curfew is in place. In addition to the killings, the area has seen a wave of rioting and arson that has destroyed hundreds of homes.

Violence erupted June 3 when a mob of Rakhine Buddhists in Rakhine ambushed a bus and killed 10 Rohingya Muslim passengers, in apparent retaliation for the earlier rape and murder of a Buddhist woman by three Muslims.

Activists reported that the situation calmed on Wednesday with the presence of the army and dusk-to-dawn curfews imposed on many parts of the region.

But Chris Lewa of the Arakan Project, which monitors western Burma, tells VOA there is now concern that Burmese security forces may be making arbitrary arrests, particularly in the border city of Maungdaw.

“In Maungdaw, the situation has calmed down a little bit last night with the presence of the army. But there are still a number of incidents that have taken place today in different parts of the township, especially around the city. But we see now it's mostly people being arrested. And nobody knows what is going to happen to them or for what reason they have been arrested.”

Burma's army has a record of human rights abuses against ethnic minority groups. And there are reports that riot police in the region are favoring the Rakhine over the minority Rohingya.

Lewa says, in the short-term, the army's presence seems to be reducing the violence. But she also said the Burmese government must work to repeal laws that deny citizenship for Rohingya Muslims in order to ensure national reconciliation.

The unrest has highlighted longstanding tensions between Buddhists and minority Rohingya Muslims. Burma does not classify its estimated 800,000 Rohingyas as Burmese citizens, instead regarding them as illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh.

In predominately Muslim Bangladesh, officials say their border guards have turned back more than 500 Rohingya Muslims trying to flee the fighting. Bangladesh's Foreign Ministry says it is not in the country's best interest to allow the Rohingyas in.

New York-based Human Rights Watch released a statement Wednesday calling on Bangladesh to immediately open its borders to Rohingyas seeking sanctuary, saying failure to do so is “putting lives at grave risk.”

President Thein Sein has warned the violence could jeopardize Burma's nascent reform process. He said the unrest is fueled by “hatred and revenge based on religion and nationality” and noted it could spread to other parts of the country. If that happens, he said the country's stability, peace, and democratization process could be severely affected.

1. (SOUNDBITE) (Bengali) UNNAMED SOLDIER OF THE BORDER

GUARD OF BANGLADESH (BGB) SAYING:

“Their (Muslims on boats) situation is unexplainable,

yesterday we sent them back, they were telling us that

'please kill us and throw our bodies into the river but

don't send us back'. Later our officers sent us to them

again with sacks of biscuits and we also gave them fuel for

the boats and asked them to go back.''

2. (SOUNDBITE) (Bengali) PETAN ALI, FROM THE TOWN OF AKIAB

IN MYANMAR, SAYING:

“In our village they (Rakhain's) burned our homes. The

entire village. Two hundred and thirty homes in our village

and one hundred and ten houses in a village nearby. We sent

young boys from our village to another area and even then

they burned the rest of the homes.''

3. (SOUNDBITE) (Bengali) PETAN ALI, FROM THE TOWN OF AKIAB

IN MYANMAR, SAYING:

“They killed three, four people in front of me. I got

scared and thought they might kill me, so I decided to come

to Bangladesh as it's a Muslim country, in the hope that

they will give us shelter.''

4. (SOUNDBITE) (Bengali) MOHAMMAD HOSSAIN, STRANDED

TRADER, SAYING:

“A few days ago we came to Bangladesh (for trading).

After coming here we found out that there has been violence

in our country and all of our homes have been burned down

so I am staying here. I am scared to go back to Myanmar.''

1. (SOUNDBITE) (English) MAJOR SAIF, OPERATION OFFICER,

BANGLADESH BORDER GUARD SAYING:

“We are guarding this (indistinct), vis-a-vis, alert.

As you know that Tuesday morning also we captured this boat

that came from Myanmar side carrying about 26 personnel

which includes men and women and also kids. We are also

giving them some food, some water, and also medicine

support from humanitarian side. And now we are ready to

push them back, we'll just push them back to the

(indistinct) line.''

2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) KAZUHIRO KANEKO, SENIOR FIELD

COORDINATOR, UNHCR, SAYING:

“UNHCR is well aware of the arrival of the boat, from

Myanmar, that carrying the men, women and children and some

are injured. They have been arriving in Teknaf last two

three days. We have not had exact number of those arrivals,

but the local media reported that they have been pushed

back to the Myanmar and this is quite worrying situations

and the UNHCR ask for the government to open the border so

that humanitarian assistance can be rendered to those

seeking the asylum.''

21. (SOUNDBITE) (English) KAZUHIRO KANEKO, SENIOR FIELD

COORDINATOR, UNHCR, SAYING:

“At this crucial stage, UNHCR has no meaningful access

to the people who are seeking immediate safety and the

medical assistance.''