At least 288 Rohingya villages torched in Rakhine, says Human Rights Watch

At least 288 villages have been partially or totally destroyed by fire in Rakhine since Aug 25, says rights body Human Rights Watch, or HRW.

News Deskbdnews24.com
Published : 17 Oct 2017, 10:34 AM
Updated : 17 Oct 2017, 10:34 AM

Tens of thousands of structures, mostly Rohingya homes, were torched, it said.

The analysis is based on satellite images that show burnings of the Rohingya villages occurred after Myanmar officials said ‘clearance operations’ had ceased. At least 66 of the villages have been burned since Sept 5, the date where the operations reportedly ended.

The images show several areas where Rohingya villages were destroyed while nearby ethnic Rakhine villages were intact.

Map of villages destroyed in Maungdaw, Buthidaung, and Rathedaung Townships. Human Rights Watch

“These latest satellite images show why over half a million Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in just four weeks,” said HRW Deputy Asia Director Phil Robertson.

The Myanmar army destroyed hundreds of Rohingya villages while committing killings, rapes, and other crimes against humanity that forced Rohingya to flee for their lives, he said.

The HRW monitoring and analysis covered 866 villages in Rakhine state’s Maungdaw, Rthedaung and Buthidaung. Settlements in Maungdaw were the worst hit.

Most of the villages were 90 to 100 percent destroyed by the fires, the HRW said.

The Myanmar government claims ARSA insurgents and local Rohingyas set the fires before fleeing.

Multiple villages on fire along the coast of Maungdaw Township, Burma on the morning of Sept 15, 2017. Human Rights Watch

Human Rights Watch says the Myanmar government has not investigated serious abuse allegations impartially and has urged UN countries to support a UN fact-finding mission, impose a global arms embargo on Myanmar, and place travel bans and asset freezes on Myanmar commanders responsible for atrocities.

“The shocking images of destruction in Burma and burgeoning refugee camps in Bangladesh are two sides of the same coin of human misery being inflicted on the Rohingya,” Robertson said.

“Concerned governments need to urgently press for an end to abuses against the Rohingya and ensure that humanitarian aid reaches everyone in need.”

Over half a million Rohingyas have fled across the border to Bangladesh since the start of a military crackdown in Rakhine state on Aug 25.