Myanmar removes officials as religious tensions simmer

YANGON — The Chief Minister of Myanmar’s Rakhine state, which has been embroiled in sectarian violence, has retired and the country’s Religious Affairs Minister has been fired.

An announcement signed by President Thein Sein gave no explanation for Mr Hla Maung Tin’s retirement or the sacking of Mr Hsan Sint.

The announcement published in local newspapers yesterday said Mr Hla Maung Tin was permitted to retire, which is a common euphemism for a firing. Saying someone has been fired implies a more serious legal matter.

Several official sources said Mr Hsan Sint is facing an investigation for corruption charges. His removal coincides with the arrest of five Buddhist monks last week after a well-known Buddhist monastery was raided in a late-night operation.

Mr Richard Horsey, a Yangon-based political analyst, told The Wall Street Journal that the decision to fire Mr Hsan Sint was probably linked to a monastery raid that was seen to be handled very badly and had upset a large number of Buddhist monks.

“Clearly the Buddhist clergy are a very strong constituency in the country,” added Mr Horsey.

The five monks arrested appeared in court yesterday. In a sensitive case in the Buddhist-majority nation, they face charges of disobeying the State Sangha board, which supervises organised Buddhist monks and their activities, and a criminal charge of defiling a place of worship with intent to insult the religion.

Mr Thein Sein has pledged to create a clean government since he assumed power in 2011 and has overseen a series of Cabinet reshuffles, though no reasons have been given.

On Thursday, state media reported Mr Thein Sein’s creation of a new advisory group for religious affairs, led by a former Religious Affairs Minister.

Since mid-2012, Rakhine has been caught up in sectarian violence, which has challenged the government and brought international criticism.

A top United Nations humanitarian official said earlier this week that she witnessed appalling conditions and the worst human suffering she has seen in camps for stateless Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state.

Almost all of the 1.3 million Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar live in Rakhine, where sectarian violence in the past two years has killed about 280 people and forced another 140,000 to flee their homes.

Most of the victims have been Rohingya chased down by Buddhist mobs. As a result, most Rohingya are living in hot, dirty camps for internally displaced people, or IDPs.

Ms Kyung-wha Kang, assistant secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, who visited Myanmar this month, said: “In Rakhine, I witnessed a level of human suffering in IDP camps that I have personally never seen before.”

The Cabinet moves came after the Deputy Education Minister was permitted to retire two days ago. There are 36 ministers and 61 deputy ministers in the Cabinet. AGENCIES