Riots in Myanmar as communal tensions rise

At least 67 people have been killed in the latest surge of communal violence between Muslims and Buddhists in western Myanmar, a government official has said, revising down an earlier toll.

A spokesman for Rakhine state, where the fighting took place, had earlier on Friday put the death toll at 112, but later scaled that back, blaming "clerical errors".

The UN said that Myanmar's fledgling democracy could be "irreparably damaged" by the clashes, which come just five months after communal unrest killed more than 80 people and displaced at least 75,000 in the same region.

Some 1,900 homes and eight religious buildings were destroyed in arson fire in Myaebon, Mrauk U, Kyauk Phyu and Minbya townships of Rakhine state.

Authorities imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in Minbya and Mrauk U towns since Monday night, as riots escalated there, Xinhua reported.

The government has vowed to punish those fanning the violence between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists.

In June, ethnic violence in Rakhine left at least 90 people dead and destroyed more than 3,000 homes. About 75,000 have been living in refugee camps ever since.

Curfews have been in place in some areas since June, and been extended to others due to the recent violence.

Tensions still simmer, in part because the government has failed to find any long-term solution to the crisis other than segregating the two communities in some areas.

Although a local government spokesman said earlier that the situation was quiet on Friday, a resident of Ramree township, which had been spared in the recent wave of unrest, said there were clashes there on Friday morning.

Rakhine prefer to use the term Bengali for Rohingya, whom they contend are not a distinct ethnic group.

Although many Rohingya have lived in Myanmar for generations, they are widely denigrated as intruders who came from neighbouring Bangladesh to steal scarce land.

The UN estimates the Rohingya population in Myanmar at 800,000. But the government does not count them as one of the country's 135 ethnic groups, and so - like neighbouring Bangladesh - denies them citizenship.

Human rights groups say racism also plays a role: Many Rohingya, who speak a Bengali dialect and resemble Muslim Bangladeshis, have darker skin and are heavily discriminated against.