Ethnic violence in Burma has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes # 29.10.2012 02 Uhr # birma01a # Journal

A week of ethnic violence in Burma has forced tens of thousands of people to flee their homes - and many are seeking shelter in refugee camps. The United Nations is estimating that some seventy five thousand people have been displaced due to the fighting. In the state of Rakhine on the border with Bangladesh, sectarian violence has pitted Buddhists against the minority Rohingya Muslims. Dozens of people have been killed or wounded in bitter clashes. Human Rights Watch says the Rohingyas are under "vicious attack." And many worry that the violence will destabilize Burma's fragile democracy.