Bangladeshi officials say at least 85 people are missing after an overcrowded boat carrying mostly Rohingya Muslim refugees sank early Wednesday. Bangladeshi border officials say the wooden boat was headed toward Malaysia when it overturned in the Bay of Bengal. They said several people were rescued by fishing boats in the area, and a rescue […]
Refugee Boat Sinks off Bangladesh, Dozens Missing
Storms Kill 19 in Bangladesh
Tropical storms have killed at least 19 and swept some 1,500 fishermen out to sea along Bangladesh’s southern coast. Heavy rain and high winds uprooted trees and collapsed hundreds of thatched houses Thursday in the areas of Bhola, Hatiya and Chittagong. Authorities say several fishing trawlers remain missing. Such storms are common in the low-lying, […]
Burmese Monks March on Bangladeshi Consulate
Anger over violence targeting the Buddhist community in Bangladesh is becoming an issue again in neighboring Burma. About 400 maroon-robed monks marched through the streets of Sittwe to protest in front of the Bangladeshi consulate in Burma’s Rakhine state. Police officials say another 1,000 people watched. The protesters presented a letter to the consulate, demanding […]
Sri Lanka’s Buddhist Monks Protest Bangladesh Violence
Hundreds of Buddhist monks demonstrated in Sri Lanka Thursday to protest a recent wave of violence targeting their religious community in Bangladesh. Reverend Galagodawatte Ghanasara told the crowd in Colombo that Buddhists are hiding in jungles in fear of their lives after rampaging Muslims reportedly torched more than 20 temples and over 100 businesses in […]
Sri Lanka’s Buddhist Monks Protest Bangladesh Violence
Hundreds of Buddhist monks demonstrated in Sri Lanka Thursday to protest a recent wave of violence targeting their religious community in Bangladesh. Reverend Galagodawatte Ghanasara told the crowd in Colombo that Buddhists are hiding in jungles in fear of their lives after rampaging Muslims reportedly torched more than 20 temples and over 100 businesses in […]
Thai Monks Rally Against Muslim Violence
Buddhist monks are protesting a wave of violence targeting the Buddhist community in Bangladesh. About 200 monks marched peacefully in Bangkok, some carrying banners pleading for peace and harmony. Others carried posters demanding an end to “Muslim Terrorism” against Bangladesh’s small Buddhist community. A monk from Chittagong, Phra Jyotisen Bhikko, called for U.N. help. ”If […]
Bangladesh Accuses Rohingya Muslims of Attacking Buddhists
The Bangladeshi government is accusing Rohingya Muslims from Burma of involvement in a wave of Muslim attacks on Buddhist temples in southeastern Bangladesh on Saturday and Sunday. Bangladeshi Home Affairs Minister Mohiuddun Khan Alamgir Monday said Rohingyas were among the thousands of anti-Buddhist rioters who vandalized and looted at least 10 Buddhist temples and dozens […]
Security Heightened in Bangladesh Following Attacks on Buddhists
Security forces are patrolling parts of southern Bangladesh to protect Buddhists from further attacks by Muslims protesting a reported Facebook photo of a burned Quran. Soldiers and paramilitary border guards were deployed to Buddhist-majority villages in Cox’s Bazaar on Monday, following two days of Muslim attacks on Buddhist temples and homes. Authorities have also banned […]
Security Heightened in Bangladesh Following Attacks on Buddhists
Security forces are patrolling parts of southern Bangladesh to protect Buddhists from further attacks by Muslims protesting a reported Facebook photo of a burned Quran. Soldiers and paramilitary border guards were deployed to Buddhist-majority villages in Cox’s Bazaar on Monday, following two days of Muslim attacks on Buddhist temples and homes. Authorities have also banned […]
Muslims Torch Buddhist Temples, Homes in Bangladesh
Hundreds of angry Muslims torched Buddhist temples and homes in southeastern Bangladesh early Sunday, complaining that a Buddhist man posted an anti-Islam photograph on Facebook. Muslims in the Cox’s Bazaar area, near the border with Buddhist-majority Burma, set fire to at least five Buddhist temples and dozens of homes. The rioters say a local Buddhist […]