Four children and a woman killed by army when crossing to Bangladesh
November 8, 2016
At least four children and one woman are dead after military
fired at their boats when they were crossing in to Bangladesh territory.
On Monday, one woman, a teenage girl and three minor
children, aged approximately 8 to 10 years old were crossing the river from Zee
Pin Khali (Zibong Hali) in Maungdaw North when military opened fire at the
boat. The two boatmen managed to jump out in to the water but the rest of the
passengers were killed in the fire.
The victims were from two families from Doe Tan (Ludaing) in
Maungdaw. One of them was a woman with a son, the other comprised of a teenage
girl and two minor boys, assumed to be a sister and two brothers.
One of the survivors told our correspondent in the area that
soldiers opened fire because they were irritated one of the children in the
boat made a loud noise.
As Tatmadaw operations increasingly target women and
children, many have become desperate to escape the country.