288 Villages, Tens of Thousands of Structures Torched
HRW (New York) – Newly released satellite images reveal that
at least 288 villages were partially or totally destroyed by fire in northern
Rakhine State in Burma since August 25, 2017, Human Rights Watch said today.
The destruction encompassed tens of thousands of structures, primarily homes
inhabited by ethnic Rohingya Muslims.
Analysis of the satellite imagery indicates both that the
burnings focused on Rohingya villages and took place after Burmese officials
claimed security force “clearance operations” had ceased, Human Rights Watch
said. The imagery pinpoints multiple areas where destroyed Rohingya villages
sat adjacent to intact ethnic Rakhine villages. It also shows that at least 66
villages were burned after September 5, when security force operations
supposedly ended, according to a September 18 speech by State Counselor Aung
San Suu Kyi. The Burmese military responded to attacks on August 25 by the
Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) with a campaign of ethnic cleansing,
prompting more than 530,000 Rohingya to flee across the border to Bangladesh,
according to the United Nations refugee agency.
“These latest satellite images show why over half a
million Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in just four weeks,” said Phil Robertson,
deputy Asia director. “The Burmese military destroyed hundreds of Rohingya
villages while committing killings, rapes, and other crimes against humanity
that forced Rohingya to flee for their lives.”
A total of 866 villages in Maungdaw, Rathedaung, and
Buthidaung townships in Rakhine State were monitored and analyzed by Human
Rights Watch. The most damage occurred in Maungdaw Township, accounting for
approximately 90 percent of the areas where destruction happened between August
25 and September 25. Approximately 62 percent of all villages in the township
were either partially or completely destroyed, and southern areas of the
township were particularly hard hit, with approximately 90 percent of the
villages devastated. In many places, satellite imagery showed multiple areas on
fire, burning simultaneously over wide areas for extended periods.
Human Rights Watch found that the damage patterns are
consistent with fire. Comparing recent imagery with those taken prior to the
date of the attacks, analysis showed that most of the damaged villages were 90
to 100 percent destroyed. Many villages which had both Rohingya and Rakhine
residing in segregated communities, such as Inn Din and Ywet Hnyo Taung, suffered
heavy arson damage from arson attacks, with known Rohingya areas burned to the
ground while known Rakhine areas were left intact.
The Burmese government has repeatedly said that ARSA
insurgents and local Rohingya communities were responsible for setting the
fires that wiped out their villages, but has offered no evidence to support
such claims. Human Rights Watch interviews in Bangladesh with more than 100
refugees who had fled the three townships gave no indication that any Rohingya
villagers or militants were responsible for burning down their own villages.
The Burmese government and military has not impartially
investigated and prosecuted alleged serious abuses committed against the
Rohingya population. UN member countries and international bodies should press
the Burmese government to grant access to the UN-mandated fact-finding mission
to investigate these abuses. The UN Security Council should also urgently
impose a global arms embargo on Burma, and place travel bans and asset freezes
on those Burmese commanders responsible for grave abuses. Governments should
impose a comprehensive arms embargo against Burma, including prohibiting
military cooperation and financial transactions with military-owned
enterprises.
“The shocking images of destruction in Burma and
burgeoning refugee camps in Bangladesh are two sides of the same coin of human
misery being inflicted on the Rohingya,” Robertson said. “Concerned governments
need to urgently press for an end to abuses against the Rohingya and ensure
that humanitarian aid reaches everyone in need.”
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