Fleeing Muslims seek food, shelter after Myanmar sectarian chaos

Muslims look out for possible boats bringing more refugees to their camp in Sittwe October 26, 2012. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun (

PAUKTAW, Myanmar (Reuters) - Boatloads of Muslims struggled to reach refugee camps and sought safety on islands and in coastal villages on Saturday as Myanmar tried to put out the fires of a week of sectarian unrest that has shaken its fragile democratic transition.

Dozens of rickety wooden vessels packed with the stateless Rohingya Muslims who fled clashes with Buddhists in western Rakhine state had reached land by Saturday after two days at sea, but nine boats were still unaccounted for, according to several Rohingya refugee sources reached by telephone.