MEDIA ALERT: Religious and Ethnic Violence Escalate in Burma’s Rakhine State

June 11th, 2012

(Yangon – November 2010)

BURMA – President Thein Sein declared a state of emergency in Burma Sunday where deadly Buddhist-Muslim clashes have ensued over the past month. At least 17 people have been killed in the state of Rakhine from the sectarian violence. (Source: New York Times / CNN).

Analysts available for comment:

	Catharin Dalpino is Professor of Southeast Asian Studies at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and former US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and a former Fellow at the Brookings Institution. She is an expert on Southeast Asian security, regional relations and domestic politics. CONTACT: catharin.dalpino@theglobalexperts.org Location: Washington D.C., USA Language: English

	Charu Lata Hogg is a Fellow of the Asia Programme at Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs. She has led research on cross-cutting political and human rights issues in South Asia, Afghanistan and Myanmar during work with Chatham House. She is the former South Asia Researcher for Human Rights Watch, and has worked in India and Sri Lanka for over 12 years. CONTACT: charu.hogg@theglobalexperts.org Location: London, U.K. Languages: English, Hindi
	Abdulaziz Sachedina is a professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia and is an expert in interfaith relations and religious affairs, especially related to Islam. CONTACT: abdulaziz.sachedina@theglobalexperts.org Location: Middle East, North America Languages: Arabic, English, French
	Dr. Farish A. Noor is the Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University; where he is part of the research cluster ‘Transnational Religion in Southeast Asia’. His weekly columns appear in several regional newspapers in Southeast and South Asia. Dr. Noor has also been a radio essayist for the BBC World Service and BBC Radio. CONTACT: farish.noor@theglobalexperts.com Location: Singapore Languages: English, French, Indonesian
	Dr. William F. Vendley has served as Secretary General of Religions for Peace since 1994. He serves as the organization’s chief executive officer, overseeing the international secretariat in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. He has led negotiations that have helped to prevent conflicts from developing, mediate peace among warring parties and rebuild societies in the aftermath of violence across the world. CONTACT: william.vendley@religionsforpeace.org Location: New York Languages: English