 |
The screen grab of a YouTube video shows
Ata Ullah, the
alleged spokesperson of
Harakah al-Yaqin. Dhaka Tribune
|
Of the arrested attackers, 39 are facing
trials for 'killing people, destroying public property and communicating with
illegal organisations'
Myanmar government claims to have arrested 585 people,
apparently Rohingya Muslims, in connection with the attacks and clashes in
Rakhine State in four months since October 9.
At least 69 people who allegedly participated in the
attacks were killed by the security forces during the army’s “clearing
operations.”
On the other hand, 10 policemen, seven soldiers and 13
civilians were also killed in the series of attacks and clashes perpetrated
from October 9 to February 9, according to the Myanmar State Counsellor’s
office, reports Xinhua.
Of the arrested attackers, 39 are facing trials for
“killing people, destroying public property and communicating with illegal
organisations.”
Also Read- Hundreds of
Rohingyas return ‘home’ http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2017/02/20/hundreds-rohingyas-return-home/
One of them was sentenced to death on February 10 for his
involvement in “intentional murder.”
Convict Mamahdnu Aka Aula is one of the 14 “attackers”
detained in Sittwe township for planning and participating in the attack on
Kotankauk border post on October 9.
The sentencing came days after a blistering report from
the United Nations accused Myanmar’s troops and police of carrying out a
campaign of rape, torture and mass killings of Rohingyas.
Efforts towards normalcy
After the October 9 attacks, the armed group later
carried out 11 more attacks on the security forces and clashed with them at
least a dozen times.
Also Read- Wider support
for Rohingya terrorists hints at further attacks http://www.dhakatribune.com/world/2017/02/17/wider-support-rohingya-terrorists-hints-attacks/
On February 15, Myanmar ceased the four-month-long
military operations. The army says it is currently cooperating with the police
to maintain stability and rule of law in the area.
During the crackdown that killed over 1,000 Rohingya
Muslims, many women were raped, thousands detained and their houses burnt. At
least 70,000 Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh and taken shelter in Teknaf and
nearby areas, according to the UN.
The Myanmar border authorities opened its gate No 1 on
February 16, but the Bangladesh authorities, who closed the border after the
October 9 attacks, is yet to take a decision on the matter.
Also Read- Myanmar opens
border gate http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/foreign-affairs/2017/02/19/myanmar-opens-border-gate/
The influx of Rohingyas apparently stopped around two
weeks ago, and AFP on Monday reported that nearly 1,000 Rohingyas – mostly
young men – had returned to their home villages recently to collect the elderly
family members left behind earlier.
On February 17, only two days after the military
operation was suspended, a group of around 30 armed Rohingyas launched an
attack on security forces in Buthidaung township on the Bangladesh border
injuring two soldiers.
Around 33,000 Rohingyas live in two registered refugee
camps in Cox’s Bazar while over 300,000 others have already lived in Bangladesh
for decades.
Also Read- PM seeks
global support for relocating Rohingya refugees http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/foreign-affairs/2017/02/19/hasina-seeks-global-support-relocating-rohingya-refugees/
The government of Sheikh Hasina has sought international
support to temporarily shift the undocumented Rohingyas to a remote island in
Hatia before they are sent to their own country in phases. But the move has
drawn severe criticism since Thengar Char is an “uninhabited and undeveloped”
coastal island.
Further attacks feared
Saudi-funded armed Rohingya group Harakah al-Yakin
(HaY) took credit for the October 9 attacks when they looted “48
weapons of various types and 6,624 rounds of assorted ammunition, 47 bayonets,
and 164 magazines” from three border outposts, as claimed by the government.
The Myanmar president’s office, however, blames
RSO-linked terrorist group Aqa Mul Mujahideen (AMM) for the coordinated
attacks, saying that led by seven top leaders, some 400 trained members of the
group participated in the attacks with a view to capturing the northern part of
the Rakhine State.
Also Raed- Rohingyas
write open letter to prime minister http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2017/02/20/rohingyas-write-open-letter-prime-minister/
The connection between HaY and AMM – both associated with
al-Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Taiba – could not be confirmed. HaY chief Ata Ullah was
mentioned by the Myanmar government as a third-tier leader of the AMM group,
which is led by Havistoohar, a Rohingya cleric from Maungdaw who was trained by
Taliban in Pakistan.
All the militant leaders have gone into hiding.
After the October 9 attacks, the HaY has gained much
support from the regional and Middle East-based Islamist militant outfits who
urged youths to join the armed jihad against the Myanmar government to avenge
the systematic ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya Muslims.
A top HaY leader told the Dhaka Tribune last month that
they had to retreat for now in the face of military operations – both ground
and aerial – and for losing support of the common Rohingya Muslims.
Also Read- Myanmar
soldiers injured in clash with militants in Rakhine http://www.dhakatribune.com/world/2017/02/19/myanmar-soldiers-injured-clash-militants-rakhine/
The government, led by Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi,
has denied almost all allegations of human rights abuses in Rakhine, including
mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya Muslims, and said the operation was a
lawful counter-insurgency campaign.
A commission has been formed to look into the allegations
of excesses by the military and the police.
The 1.1 million Rohingyas are loathed by many from the
Buddhist majority, who insist they are illegal immigrants from Bangladesh even
though many have lived in the country for generations.