RANGOON, BURMA (MYANMAR), June 16, 2005: Burmese authorities recently surveyed the population of Hindu people in Arakan state, but other communities were excluded from the survey, reported a Hindu community leader from Akyab. The district administrators from four districts of Arakan state conducted the survey during the past few weeks as per the Rangoon authority’s instructions. But there is no detailed information as to why the Burmese military government conducted the survey only on Hindus, said a Hindu goldsmith. The authorities collected a list of about 5,000 Hindus living in Arakan state. The Arakanese Hindus originally hailed from India and most of the Hindu people in Arakan are working in the gold trade and general stores.
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