Say 'peace' for Myanmar youths' selfie campaign

Yangon

IN a nation where religion and ethnicity are incendiary issues, a selfie campaign by Myanmar students promoting cross-cultural friendships has become a rare counterpoint to bilious anti-Muslim rhetoric from hardline Buddhist monks.

At first glance, there is nothing unusual about the group of grinning teenagers jostling for space in front of a mobile phone camera. But their selfie - taken with Yangon's gleaming Shwedagon Pagoda in the background - is an act of unity in a nation hit by deadly recent outbreaks of communal violence and increasingly inflammatory hate speech in a crucial election year.