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Myanmar Police Break Up Buddhist Mob


Chief Superintendent Zaw Min Oo talks to the media during a news conference about riots in Mandalay, July 2, 2014.
Chief Superintendent Zaw Min Oo talks to the media during a news conference about riots in Mandalay, July 2, 2014.

Police in Myanmar's second largest city, Mandalay, used rubber bullets Wednesday to disperse a Buddhist mob that was attacking a Muslim-owned tea shop.

A police statement said five people were injured in the breakup of the riot, the latest instance of Buddhist-Muslim violence in Myanmar, also known as Burma.

Mandalay, Myanmar
Mandalay, Myanmar

Witnesses say hundreds of Buddhists armed with knives and rocks attacked the shop after rumors spread that its Muslim owner raped a Buddhist woman.

The mob pillaged other Muslim-owned shops and burned vehicles before order was restored by a large police force later on Wednesday.

At least 200 people, mostly members of Myanmar's minority Muslim communities, have been killed in religious unrest since June 2012. Tens of thousands have also been left homeless.

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