Myanmar Court Sentences 144 Rohingya Civilians

Sittwe, MINA – Myanmar’s military court has sentenced 144 civilians to prison following a massacre by military forces that killed nearly 80 people in their village three months ago.

Their families told Radio Free Asia (RFA) on Monday that the detainees were imprisoned under accusations of supporting rebels, more than three months after their arrest.

Relatives of the detained individuals from Byain Phyu in Rakhine State rejected the court’s verdict. They denied supporting the Arakan Army (AA) rebels, who have made significant advances in the battlefield against the military.

“How could we support the AA when we ourselves struggle every day and barely meet our needs?” said a relative of one of the detainees on Friday regarding the court’s decision based on laws prohibiting illegal assemblies by the military court at the main prison in Sittwe in the west.

“However, the court did not accept this and proceeded to sentence them,” the relative added.

Byain Phyu is on the outskirts of Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State. The junta forces are eager to ensure that AA militants cannot establish positions there.

Shortly after the massacre on May 29, a junta spokesperson stated that the military had conducted a clearing operation and that rebel forces had attacked with “drones and artillery.”

At that time, the military claimed to have discovered bunkers made from sandbags in homes throughout the village, which they said were positions for AA troops.

The military detained around 300 villagers then. Only four of the accused were found innocent on Friday, according to locals, with over 150 others facing trial by the court on Monday.

The AA has made unprecedented gains in Rakhine State since the end of last year, leaving junta forces increasingly confined to pockets of territory, including Sittwe.

A resident of Sittwe, who also wished to remain anonymous for security reasons, said that the junta forces, frustrated by their setbacks, are venting their anger on civilians.

“A source close to the court had told us that only 38 people would be imprisoned and the rest would be released, but a few days before the verdict, the Regional Command Headquarters in Sittwe was attacked with heavy weaponry by the Arakan Army,” the resident said.

“It seems the attack might have caused casualties, so they decided to punish the villagers.”

Byain Phyu is now largely empty with nearly 2,000 villagers seeking refuge in monasteries and schools in Sittwe, according to residents, with junta forces deployed to prevent anyone from returning.

In Sittwe, nervous junta soldiers conduct numerous checkpoints and detain individuals, said residents.

The AA has also made advances in the northern and southern regions of Rakhine State. (T/RE1/P2)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)