Troops patrolled the streets of a central Myanmar town today after Buddhist-Muslim unrest tore through the area leaving at least 20 dead and the government declaring emergency rule. Around 50 military trucks were deployed in Meiktila, where homes and mosques have been torched by mobs armed with with knives and sticks in three days of communal rioting.

Violence in Meiktila, located 130 kilometres north of the capital Naypyidaw, began on Wednesday after an apparent argument in a gold shop spiralled into pitched battles. Mosques have been reduced to ashes, while gangs of young men, including monks, have roamed the streets. Meiktila remained tense today, although no new clashes were reported overnight.

The United Nations, US, Britain and rights groups have called for calm and dialogue between communities amid fears that the violence could spread.