Myanmar district under martial law after religious clash

Authorities imposed martial law in an area of Myanmar's western state of Rakhine Saturday after a group of Muslims allegedly torched hundreds of houses and killed at least five people. State media announced that Maung Thaw district, about 230 kilometres west of Yangon, was under dusk-to-dawn curfew.
"Nineteen shops, 386 houses and one hotel were burned," President Thein Sein's official website said. "Four men and a woman were killed with knives." The exact number of casualties were hard to determine as many villagers had fled to the hills, villagers said.
Vice President Sai Mauk Khen flew to Rakhine to inspect the scene. Troops were fully deployed and military doctors had been sent by plane to the area Saturday morning. The rampage was reportedly sparked when the group of Muslims attacked a group of Buddhists returning form a funeral procession. Six days earlier, a mob killed 10 Muslims in nearby Taunggup to avenge the rape and murder of a local woman, allegedly by Muslims. Police detained three Muslim suspects.