KYAUKPHYU, Rakhine
State — Myanmar security forces killed two suspected militants and apprehended
one in Tin May village in northern Buthidaung Township on Sunday morning,
according to the State Counselor’s Office Information Committee.
A statement by the
information committee said that as security forces were patrolling the village,
militants opened fire from a house, releasing some 20 gunshots. When security
forces returned fire, militants set off an improvised explosive device (IED) in
the dwelling and three persons attempted to flee. Two were killed on the spot
and one was arrested, according to the statement.
Another person,
70-year-old Sauli Ahmed, was arrested for attempting to “disturb” the security
forces’ operations during the incident, the statement added.
In a subsequent
search of the home, Myanmar Army and border police officials discovered a BA 94
assault rifle and two magazines. The State Counselor’s Office statement claimed
the firearm was the same model as those looted from a border guard post in
Maungdaw Township during the October 9 attacks last year that left nine
policemen dead.
A handmade gun, a
remote control mine, two car pistons and eight detonators, as well as
Bangladeshi money, two walkie-talkies, six swords, four daggers and a machete
were also found, the statement said.
The army and border
police are currently carrying out joint clearance operations in northern
Rakhine State amid an uptick in unrest in the region over recent months.
A Buthidaung
resident told The Irrawaddy that residents had been leaving Tin May village
since the bodies of five persons allegedly killed in an IED accident were recovered in the area in early May. Locals feared
for their safety as government troops searched for the suspects involved, the
resident said. https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/five-bodies-found-buthidaung.htmlhttps:/www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/three-dead-as-police-raid-suspected-militant-camp-in-maungdaw.html
On June 20, Myanmar
military and border police raided a suspected militant
training camp in a forest of the Mayu mountain range. The raid left
three dead and resulted in the seizure of 20 dummy guns, two homemade guns and
bags of corn seed and rice. https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/three-dead-as-police-raid-suspected-militant-camp-in-maungdaw.html
Soon after, in late
June, two Buddhist men from Tarein village were killed while they were hunting
for tortoises, according to a statement on the incident by the State
Counselor’s Office Information Committee.
According to
eyewitness accounts, the perpetrators were identified as Muslim, contributing
to an atmosphere of growing mistrust between the area’s Buddhist and Muslim
communities.
Almost 100 Tarein villagers fled the area after the attack,
citing safety concerns. https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/villagers-flee-following-maungdaw-murders.html
In another incident,
on July 4, seven Muslim men from the Dapaing camp for internally displaced
persons in the Rakhine State capital Sittwe were attacked by a mob while they
were part of a police escort. One man was killed.
Amid the rise in
recent violence in the State, UN Special Rapporteur on The Situation of Human
Rights in Myanmar Yanghee Lee is due to arrive in the country on Monday and is
scheduled to visit conflict-torn areas in the region this week.
It is unclear whether
authorities will allow her to visit areas in which he most recent clashes have
occurred.
The Myanmar
government has repeatedly denied Myanmar visas to a UN fact-finding mission on
conflicts in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan states. Last week, the President’s Office
issued a statement regarding Yanghee Lee’s sixth visit to Rakhine State,
stating that it must not be linked to the UN’s fact-finding mission.
The special
rapporteur said she would focus on the development of human rights in the
region, as on previous tours. The President’s Office statement said the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Home Affairs and
regional government were discussing details of her visit.
Last week, a
delegation led by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi visited
Rakhine State and met with both communities in Maungdaw.
Sources from village:
Rohingya Local villagers said, the incident is fabricated and seized Arms are planted by Myanmar Army to be accused innocent Rohingyas as usual.
Rohingya Local villagers said, the incident is fabricated and seized Arms are planted by Myanmar Army to be accused innocent Rohingyas as usual.