Burmese men sentenced to death for sparking off ethnic clashes, rape of Buddhist woman

Rangoon, June 19 (ANI): Two Burmese men have been sentenced to death for their role in sparking off violent clashes between Muslims and Buddhists.

They were earlier convicted for raping and killing a Buddhist woman in Rakhine state in May.

A third suspect who died in jail was given a posthumous conviction, The BBC reports.

After the woman's murder, a bus carrying Muslims was attacked and ten people were killed, prompting more unrest in several towns and villages in Rakhine.

The violence has led to hundreds of Muslim refugees from the Rohingya minority trying to enter neighbouring Bangladesh by boat.

President Thein Sein even declared a state of emergency in Rakhine on June 10.

Analysts believe it is unlikely that the men will be put to death, as no prisoners have been executed in Burma since the mid-1980s. (ANI)