Thirty-five people have been arrested and detained by police in Lashio for their involvement in communal rioting on Tuesday and Wednesday, Shan State’s Northern District’s police station has confirmed to Mizzima.
“On the day the riot started, we arrested 20 suspects. On the next day, 15 were arrested,” the police officer said.
Order and calm had been restored to the streets by Thursday, he said, although there were rumors that some gangs had gathered in quarters on the outskirts of Lashio.
On Thursday, Ye Htut, the Deputy Minister of Information, wrote on his Facebook page that 25 suspects who allegedly led and organized the communal riot had been arrested and interrogated.
“To prevent people from other regions coming to Lashio to participate in the violence, we are conducting security checks at the town gates,” he wrote.
Lashio’s Myoma Market and other shops were re-opened on Thursday, according to local residents.
Meanwhile, two temporary camps have been erected in Quarters No. 7 and 8 for those victims whose houses were destroyed.
“Behind the scenes, there may be people who want to gain political benefits from inciting religious hatred. The police and the army are working together to be dutiful,” said Sai Phoe Aung, the chairman of Muse Township’s Shan Nationalities Democratic Party.
