Three dead in new Myanmar clashes

Fresh communal violence has left at least three dead in western Myanmar, where more than 60 people have been killed in unrest this month, government officials said Wednesday. Three Buddhists were killed on Tuesday in clashes in the village of Yathedaung, about 65 kilometres (40 miles) from Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine state, according to an official who did not want to be named.

"The death toll could be higher," the official told AFP from Sittwe.

"We haven't got detailed information on how it started," he said, adding that monsoon rains had hampered transport and communication links to the area.

Despite the new outbreak of bloodshed, the official said the situation was "under control in most parts of Rakhine state", where emergency rule has been in place for more than a week.

The region has been rocked by rioting, arson and a cycle of revenge attacks involving Buddhist Rakhine and Muslim Rohingya, prompting growing international concern. (...)