Burma: Thousands flee Rakhine State amid worst violence in years A Rohingya refugee woman sits with her
belongings on the no man’s land on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in
Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, on Aug 27, 2017. Source: Reuters/Mohammad Ponir
Hossain-Suu
Kyi attends the funeral ceremony of Aung Shwe, former chairman of
National League for Democracy (NLD) party, in Yangon, Burma, on Aug 17,
2017. Source: Reuters/Soe Zeya Tun- Members of Border Guard Bangladesh
(BGB) prepare a mortar as a part their defence after heavy gunshots are
being heard at the Myannmar side in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, on Aug 26,
2017. Source: Reuters/Mohammad Ponir Hossain-A group of Rohingya
refugees takes shelter at the Kutuupalang makeshift refugee camp, after
crossing the Burma-Bangladesh border today in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh,
on Aug 26, 2017. Source: Reuters/Mohammad Ponir Hossain
A Rohingya refugee woman sits with her belongings on the no man’s land
on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, on Aug 27,
2017. Source: Reuters/Mohammad Ponir Hossain
ROHINGYA Muslim and Rakhine Buddhist civilians have fled Rakhine State
in the thousands as fighting killed more than 100 people over the
weekend – the worst violence to hit the restive northwest of Burma
(Myanmar) in five years.
The mass escape from the northern part of Rakhine State was triggered by
widespread coordinated offensives by Rohingya insurgents wielding
sticks, knives and homemade bombs in attacks on Friday on 30 police
posts and an army base.
The violence occurred just days after the Kofi Annan-led Advisory Commission on Rakhine State handed down its final report,
in which it recommended Burma improve monitoring of its security forces
and hold those accused of human rights abuses accountable.
The Dhaka Tribune reported
on Monday hundreds of Rohingya are stranded in “no man’s land” on the
Burma-Bangladesh border, as security forces on both sides seek to
prevent movement across the border.
“We fled to Bangladesh in terror of our lives,” said a 70-year-old man
as quoted by the Bangladeshi daily. “Army men picked one of my sons up.
He will never return home because I am sure they have already killed
him.”
The violence in the Rakhine marks a dramatic escalation of a conflict
that has simmered in the region since last October, when a similar but
much smaller Rohingya attack prompted a brutal military response dogged
by allegations of human rights abuses.
“The events of the past 24 hours cast in stark relief the urgent need to
take immediate measures to de-escalate conflict and chart a path toward
long-term peace, and the recommendations delivered to the government by
the [Annan] Commission are an ideal place to start,” said a statement
from Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) head Charles
Santiago.
The treatment of about 1.1 million Muslim Rohingya in mainly Buddhist
Burma has emerged as the biggest challenge for national leader Aung San
Suu Kyi, who has condemned the attacks and commended the security
forces.
The Nobel Peace laureate has been accused by some Western critics of not
speaking out for the long-persecuted Muslim minority and of defending
the army’s counter-offensive after the October attacks.
“Suu Kyi’s office is implicating aid workers in militancy and suggesting
the World Food Programme (WFP) is feeding militants. The WFP and a few
other aid groups have kept civilians alive, a population the government
would otherwise let starve,” Fortify Rights CEO Matthew Smith said in a
statement on Monday.
“Before this recent spate of violence broke out, it was estimated more
than 80,000 Rohingya children under the age of five had acute severe
malnutrition, also known as wasting, due in large part to strict
restrictions on freedom of movement.”
Thousands of Rohingya – mostly women and children – fleeing the violence
sought to ford the Naf river separating Burma and Bangladesh and cross
the land border.
Some of the refugees who had escaped previous pogroms in Burma said
Bangladeshi police had warned them not to help the new arrivals.
“They told us, ‘If anyone gives them shelter, we will arrest you and
send you to the other side.’ So, out of fear, we are not allowing any
newcomers,” Mohammad Yunus, a Rohingya Muslim, said in a makeshift
refugee camp near the border.
Despite these measures, about 2,000 people have been able to cross into
Bangladesh since Friday, according to estimates by Rohingya refugees
living in the makeshift camps in Bangladesh.
At the no man’s land between the two countries, Reuters reporters
saw dozens of Rohingya women, most wearing the all-enveloping burqa,
seated in a cramped area under a few black plastic sheets shielding them
from the harsh sun.
Gunfire rang out on the Burma side of the border on Saturday and Sunday.
For years, the Rohingya have endured apartheid-like conditions in
northwestern Burma, where they are denied citizenship and face severe
travel restrictions. Many Burma Buddhists regard them as illegal
immigrants from Bangladesh.
Non-Muslims evacuated
In Burma, the UN and international aid agencies withdrew some staff from
the area, after the government said it was investigating whether
members of aid groups had been involved in an alleged siege by the
insurgents of a village in August.
The state has provided security to aid workers, but “with this kind of
situation, no one can fully guarantee safety,” Rakhine State chief
minister Nyi Pu said.
“If they want to stay, we will give security as best as we can.”
“If they don’t want to stay, due to their safety concerns, and want to leave, we told them that we will help them.”
The military reported several weekend clashes involving hundreds of Rohingya insurgents across northern Rakhine state.
“Extremist terrorists blew out improvised bombs, set fire to villages
and attacked the police outposts in Maungtaw,” the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar daily said on Monday, referring to a major regional town.
The government reported at least 104 deaths – the vast majority
militants, plus 12 members of security forces and several civilians.
“The government is again alleging Rohingya are burning down their own homes,” said Fortify Rights’ Smith.
“In doing so, the government is fuelling the idea all Rohingya are
intent on deceiving the world and that all Rohingya are combatants. It’s
not only incorrect, it’s dangerous.”
The government urged Rohingya civilians to cooperate with security
forces, assuring those with without ties to the insurgents they would
not be affected.
It has declared the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), which
instigated the October attacks and claimed responsibility for the latest
offensive, a terrorist organisation.
The government’s allegations were baseless, the group said in a
statement on Monday, seeking to present its cause as a defence of
Rohingya rights.
“The loss of any and all life is a tragedy, and, as lawmakers, we
categorically renounce the use of violence, especially against
civilians, who remain at serious risk,” added Santiago of APHR.
“The Burma government has a responsibility to protect all civilians, and
the Asean region, as well as the broader international community, must
actively aid in achieving that goal.”
North Rakhine State is populated mostly by Rohingya Muslims. Thousands
of non-Muslim villagers were being evacuated to larger towns,
monasteries and police stations, the government said. Many were arming
themselves with knives and sticks for fear of insurgent attacks.
“We are afraid of swords because they attack people with swords,” said
Than Aye, a 65-year-old villager fleeing the township of Buthidaung for
Sittwe, the state capital.
“That’s why we are fleeing from there, as we are afraid of them. I haven’t slept well at night.”
