M.MAS 1/12/17 leave; the argument continued outside the shop and then escalated to physical violence. There was no indication, as far as we have been able to determine, that religious identities played any role in this initial incident, although this has still been a question, as the case is ongoing at present. The mother of one of the young men that was killed was subsequently approached by a monk with connections to Ma Ba Tha.31 The squatters’ advocate would not give the monk’s name, but said that he had been active in campaigning for the Protection of Race and Religion Laws. This monk offered to take up the case and to help the families get revenge, in any way they wanted. Soon after their arrest, a group of people had also gathered outside the police station where the Muslim assailants were being held; this group of people also then went to the family to encourage them to kill the perpetrators. The monk and some of the men from this group also attended the young man’s funeral. According to the squatters’ advocate, the feeling in the area was already tense because of violence elsewhere in Myanmar. She said that people had to watch what they say and also teach their children to be careful with their language, since teasing among children was common but ran a risk of being misunderstood: “Children tease each other. They may say that today is Eid day, so, treat us to pork and sour bamboo shoot curry. It is just a joke, but as conflict can happen as the result of a single word, conflict between children can lead to conflict between adults, and then to ethnic and religious conflict.” 32 People were also discouraging their children from being friends with children from other religions. The unfortunate result, according to those we spoke to, was that, in order to avoid conflict, people were choosing to self-segregate and avoid those from other religious groups. According to the squatters’ advocate, she is friends with the bereaved mother who had been approached by the monk. Although the advocate had not been able to attend the funeral herself, she said that her mother went and heard the monk and others discuss the need for taking revenge against Muslims for the murder. The mother told her daughter, who decided to act to prevent further conflict. The squatters’ advocate said she then discussed the case with her social networks and “people who are more educated,” who told her that they also didn’t want conflict to happen and advised her on what to say to the family. She then went with one of the men whom she had consulted to see her grieving friend to discuss the monk’s offer with her and her family and the possible consequences, were she to take him up on his offer. The squatters’ advocate said that the bereaved family wanted to see their son’s attackers killed, but also worried that if they took up the case with the monk it would lead to a wider conflict that no one would be able to control. The squatters’ advocate said the she agreed and advised the family to tell anyone who asked that they wanted to follow due legal procedure. She also warned them that if they decided to go along with the monk and there were riots, people would blame the family and they would receive unwelcome attention. She also pointed out that riots and further violence would not bring back their son. According to the squatters’ advocate, during the following week, the bereaved mother was again pressured by monks and an uncle from the family of the other young man who had been killed to seek revenge. She was also interviewed by journalists and other individuals about the case. To all of the people who came to talk to her, the woman replied that she wanted to follow due legal process and that her family would agree with the decision of the courts. The squatters’ advocate said that after the mother rebuffed outside interest in the case for about a week, interest appeared to wane and she felt that the risk of escalation had been averted. It was not clear whether the other bereaved family decided to take up the case with the monk. 31 32 Informants could not confirm whether this monk was acting on behalf of the organisation or on his own initiative. All quotes in this section are from the female squatters’ advocate. 9/24