Yangon, Myanmar, 19 Safar 1438/19 November 2016 (MINA) – A Rohingya community elder claims that members of the Muslim ethnic group are now fleeing Rakhine State in fear of an ongoing military crackdown.
“We heard some were arrested while crossing the river to reach Bangladesh,” the man told Anadolu Agency on Friday, referring to the Naf River on the Myanmar-Bangladesh border.
Speaking on condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisal, he said he was unable to confirm how many were arrested and how many had reached the neighboring country.
The arrests come as the army continues to crackdown on those suspected of involvement in attacks on troops in Maungdaw township in Rakhine’s north — an area predominantly occupied by the country’s stateless Rohingya population.
Also Read: Sudan’s Army Seizes Several Areas in South Kordofan After Heavy Clashes with Paramilitary RSF
A statement from the government’s newly-formed State Counselor Office Information Committee (SCOIC) said Friday that 59 more people had been arrested, bringing the overall number of people held to 337 since the military says an armed group killed nine border police officers and stole weapons in attacks on police stations near the border Oct. 9.
The government has said that at least 86 people — 17 soldiers and 69 alleged “attackers” (among them two women) — have been killed in Rakhine, while Rohingya groups claim that the number killed in the last weekend alone could be as high as 150 civilians.
There has been no independent verification of the arrests or attacks as access to the affected area near the Bangladesh border has since been under Myanmar military control.
On Friday, Anadolu Agency asked the man if it is possible the villagers supported the armed attackers.
Also Read: Spain Sees Mass Solidarity Protests for Palestine in Over 40 Cities
“As far as I know, most Rohingya villagers just want to live in peace and with human dignity,” the man, who has lived in the Muslim community for some time, said.
“They are not like what the government described,” he underlined.
Offering no explanation
On Friday, the government’s State Counselor Office Information Committee said in a statement that that some detainees had confessed during interrogation that villagers were told that if they didn’t take part in the attacks they would be killed.
Also Read: EU Commissioner Says Israel Blocked Her Entry to Gaza During Egypt Visit
In the statements, the detainess referred to themselves as Bengali — a term that suggests that Rohingya are not actually from Myanmar but from Bangladesh.
Late Friday, the deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch told Anadolu Agency that the statement lacked any credibility without any information as to how and where the confessions were obtained.
“[It offers no explanation] why a group of Rohingya are now inexplicably using the government’s preferred terminology of ‘Bengali’ – which is something that never happens since it directly contradicts their ethnic group’s belief that they have a right to be a citizen of Myanmar. ”
Rohingya have fled Myanmar in droves since mid-2012 after communal violence broke out in Rakhine between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya — described by the United Nations as among the most persecuted minority groups worldwide.
Also Read: Thousands Rally in Paris on International Day of Solidarity with Palestinians
A law passed in Myanmar in 1982 denied Rohingya — many of whom have lived in Myanmar for generations — citizenship, making them stateless, removing their freedom of movement, access to education and services, and allowing for arbitrary confiscation of property.
On Friday, the U.N. refugee agency (UNHCR) urged Myanmar to protect civilians in Rohingya areas in accordance with the rule of law and its international obligations.
“The UNHCR is deeply concerned about the safety and well-being of civilians in the northern part of Rakhine,” spokesman Adrian Edwards said in a press conference in Geneva.
“We are urging the government of Myanmar to ensure the protection and dignity of all civilians on its territory in accordance with the rule of law and its international obligations.” (T/R07/R01)
Also Read: RSF Kills State News Agency’s Director in El-Fasher, Detains Several Journalists
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
Mina Indonesia
Mina Arabic
Mina Sport