Myanmar: Govt to call Buddhists ‘Rakhine ethnics’ to calm protesters

To calm Buddhist protesters, the government of the restive Rakhine state in Myanmar issued a statement saying that it would call the state’s Buddhist majority “Rakhine ethnics” rather than using the phrase “the Buddhist community in Rakhine state” as suggested by the Union government.

Controversy over terminology continues to simmer as thousands of Buddhists, including monks, demonstrated on Monday against the Union government’s edict to refer to Muslims as the “Muslim communities of Rakhine” rather than describing them as “Rohingya” or “Bengalis” and use the phrase “the Buddhist community in Rakhine state” to refer to the Buddhist majority.

U Tin Maung Swe, executive secretary for the general administration department of Rakhine, said the state government would soon issue an additional statement about how Muslims in Rakhine state would be referred to.

“I can’t say exactly what that is, and I can say keep waiting for that name at the moment,” the Myanmar Times quoted Mr Swe as saying.