ALOK31
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JAKARTA (Reuters) - Muslim and Buddhist refugees from Myanmar clashed at a refugee camp in Indonesia on Friday in a riot in which eight people were killed and 15 were wounded, media reported.
Rioters used wooden sticks, knives and iron bars to attack each other during a two-hour clash at an immigration center in Sumatra island, media said, quoting police. More than 20 Myanmar nationals were arrested.
The riot broke out after an argument over recent sectarian violence between majority Buddhists and minority Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar.
Thousands of Rohingyas flee from Myanmar each year on rickety boats seeking refuge and jobs in Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia, but the number has swelled since unrest last year.
Indonesia is also a common transit point for people seeking asylum in Australia.
An estimated 800,000 Rohingyas live in Myanmar but are officially stateless. The Myanmar government denies them citizenship, regarding them as illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. But Bangladesh does not recognize them as citizens.
Myanmar Buddhist, Muslim refugees clash in Indonesia, eight dead