A number of international aid workers have been evacuated from Myanmar’s Rakhine State after angry Buddhist mobs attacked them on March 27. Although there are no reports of injuries, it is the first outbreak of violence in the region since January. The Rakhine State has seen on-and-off uprisings by Buddhist extremists who have killed 280 Rohingya Muslims in the past 2 years, forcing another 140,000 to flee for their lives.
Rocks were thrown at the homes of aid workers as hundreds of rioters stormed the streets. Police fired warning shots to disperse the crowd who wanted to attack the aid workers who were there to help the suffering Rohingya community. It was said that violence was sparked when an aid worker removed a Buddhist flag from their group’s office.