A case of insulting and intimidating overreach or an innocent attempt at community relations?
Police in Myawaddy reportedly met more than 60 local Muslims yesterday to talk about Islamic State, after 10 Syrians linked to the group were reported to have arrived in Thailand, which borders the town.
Moe Nyo, the deputy chief of police, asked the representatives of the Muslim population to inform him if news emerged suggesting Islamic State had infiltrated the community, according to Newswatch.
Newswatch is known for publishing critical articles about Myanmar’s Muslim minority, who make up at least 5 per cent of the 51 million population and have come under increasing pressure from Buddhist nationalist groups in recent years.
Myanmar has also tightened security in its border areas following the reports from Russian intelligence about the presence of IS operatives targeting its interests in Thailand.
But a senior officer in Mandalay said this week that there were no Muslim organizations in Myanmar that had sympathy with IS.
Photo / Axel Drainville / Flickr
