By Al Jazeera
August 26, 2017
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Bangladeshi border guards say troops fired mortars and
machine guns at Rohingya civilians trying to escape bloodshed.
Myanmar soldiers opened fire on fleeing Rohingya
civilians - mostly women and children - as they attempted to cross the border
into Bangladesh and escape surging violence.
On Saturday an AFP news agency reporter at Bangladesh's
Ghumdhum border post counted more than a dozen mortar shells and countless
machine gun rounds fired by Myanmar security forces in nearby hills onto a
large group of Rohingya desperately trying to cross.
It was not immediately clear if any were hit, but the
civilians scattered to evade the barrage.
"They have fired on civilians, mostly women and
children, hiding in the hills near the zero line," Border Guard
Bangladesh's (BGB) station chief Manzurul Hassan Khan confirmed.
"They fired machine guns and mortar shells suddenly,
targeting the civilians. They have not consulted with the BGB," he added.
Anita Schug of the European Rohingya Council, speaking
from the Swiss city of Solothurn, told Al Jazeera her organisation could verify
the report.
"We have videos from the ground and we can share
them if requested confirming that this news is true," she said.
"Burmese military together with the Rakhine
extremists armed with knives, swords, machetes and guns are attacking the
Rohingya innocent civilians who are not armed at all."
Thousands trapped
Thousands of Rohingya Muslims escaping violence in
Myanmar were trapped at the border with Bangladesh as new fighting erupted in
restive Rakhine state.
Clashes began on Friday between security forces and
Rohingya rebels leaving at least 92 people dead, including 12 soldiers, forcing
civilians to flee.
"Many Rohingya people are trying to enter the
country, but we have a zero tolerance policy - no one will be allowed,"
Mohammad Ali Hossain, deputy commissioner of Cox's Bazar district near the
Myanmar border, told Reuters news agency.
Later on Saturday, Mohammad Nur - a Rohingya leader at an
unregistered camp in Cox's Bazar - told the AP news agency by phone he heard
about 100,000 Rohingya had gathered along the border to try to enter Bangladesh.
That figure could not be confirmed.
Gunfire rang out across the northern part of Rakhine
state on Saturday as clashes between the two sides continued.
Bangladeshi officials regularly advocate a tough approach
to refugees in official interviews, but typically end up letting them through.
An AFP reporter at the scene said hundreds of Rohingya
made it across the porous border early on Saturday when border patrols were
relaxed because of heavy rain, with some swimming across the Naf river.
An emergency ward doctor said two Rohingya men who had
been shot in Myanmar entered Bangladesh and were taken to a hospital.
"One of them, aged 25, died hours after he was
admitted here," the doctor said on condition of anonymity.
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees are already in
Bangladesh and 87,000 have arrived since October 2016, after an attack by
rebels killed nine security forces and resulted in a major crackdown in Rakhine
state.
Bangladeshi officials regularly advocate a tough approach
to refugees in official interviews [Sam Jahan/AFP/Getty Images]
Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's de facto leader,
"strongly condemned" Friday's "brutal attacks by terrorists on
security forces in Rakhine state".
"I would like to commend the members of the police
and security forces who have acted with great courage in the face of many
challenges," Suu Kyi said.
The government said it had evacuated officials, teachers,
and hundreds of non-Rohingya villagers to army bases and police stations.
The focal point of Friday's unrest was Rathedaung
township. The area has seen a heavy build-up of troops in recent weeks, with
reports filtering out of killings by shadowy groups, army-blockaded villages,
and abuses.
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) claimed
responsibility for Friday's attacks in a Twitter post but did not mention
casualty figures or how many fighters were involved.
ARSA, accusing the Myanmar forces of killings and rape,
said on Friday it was "taking defensive actions" in more than 25
different locations.
The government has declared the group a
"terrorist" organisation.
Observers worry the latest attacks will spark an even
more aggressive army response and trigger communal clashes between Muslims and
Buddhist ethnic Rakhines.
"25 Aug attack in N Rakine utmost
concern! Violence must stop in Rakhine. Heartfelt sorrow 4 deaths. Beg all
sides 2 take restraint! Everyone!" Yanghee Lee, the UN special rapporteur
on human rights in Myanmar, said on Twitter.
The Rohingya Muslims are denied citizenship in Myanmar
and are classified as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh; despite claiming
roots in the region that go back centuries.
About 1.1 million Rohingya live in Myanmar.
The mistreatment of the Rohingya Muslims, often described
as the world's most persecuted minority, has emerged as Myanmar's most
contentious human rights issue as it makes a transition from decades of
military rule.
Source: http://aje.io/3uksw