Yangon Region authorities closed a mosque and a Muslim seminary on Wednesday, The Voice has reported.
Three buildings that were discovered to have been used for Muslim prayers and religious education in Okkan Township, about 100 kilometers north of Yangon, were chained shut.
Township administrator Myo Lwin told The Voice that the buildings were closed to prevent future tensions in the area, where an anti-Muslim riot broke out in 2013.
The immediate pretext for the 2013 riot were rumors that a Muslim woman accidentally bumped into a Buddhist monk and broke his begging bowl. Hundreds of Buddhists armed with bricks invaded Muslim villages claiming the Muslim woman had assaulted the monk.
One Muslim man was killed in the attack, and two mosques and 150 Muslim-owned businesses and homes were destroyed.
Closures of Muslims houses of worship have grown increasingly common in Yangon, where ultra-nationalist Buddhists exploit local laws to force authorities to carry out the closures.
On Thursday, 20 religious and human rights organizations petitioned State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi to ensure that the law is meted evenly across communities rather than serving as a tool for ultra-nationalist Buddhists to restrict the freedoms of Muslims.
