Protests, prayers
mark anniversary of Rohingya crisis
Refugees in
Bangladesh held demonstrations and prayers on Saturday to mark the passing of a
year since the outbreak of a conflict in western Myanmar's Rakhine state that
drove hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims from their homes.
Across the border in
Myanmar, the government said security patrols had been increased in the
conflict area ahead of the anniversary for fear of further violence. Members of
the mostly Buddhist Rakhine ethnic group and Hindus from Rakhine state said
they would hold events to remember those killed by Rohingya militants in
attacks that triggered the crisis.
Thousands of refugees,
from children to the elderly, marched, prayed and chanted slogans in events
across the sprawling camps in southern Bangladesh. Many wore black ribbons to
commemorate what they said was the start of the "Rohingya genocide".
"We prayed the
morning prayers inside our house over the sound of bullets. We were so
scared," said Aisha, 47, one of dozens of women at a gathering in the
Kutupalong camp, recalling the outbreak of the conflict.
"Today marks
365 days since that day. So I want to say, we want justice."
After the Arakan
Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) attacked 30 Myanmar police posts and a military
base in the early hours of Aug 25, 2017, Myanmar troops swept through villages.
Around 700,000 Rohingya have since fled, according to United Nations agencies.
Rohingya who crossed
the border reported killings, rapes and arson carried out by security forces,
in what the UN's top human rights official said seemed to be a "textbook
example of ethnic cleansing".
The government of
Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi has denied allegations of atrocities made by
the refugees, saying that security forces lawfully suppressed Muslim militants
in Rakhine.
Government spokesman
Zaw Htay told Reuters on Friday that Myanmar did not tolerate human rights
abuses, and had set up a commission of inquiry that included two veteran
international diplomats to look into the Rakhine crisis.
International
pressure on Myanmar has been growing, however. UN-mandated investigators are
set to publish a report on the crisis on Monday and the United Nations Security
Council will hold a briefing on Myanmar on Tuesday.
In a statement ahead
of the anniversary, 132 sitting parliamentarians from five other countries in
Southeast Asia issued a statement calling for Myanmar officials to face trial
at the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The ICC is currently
considering whether it has jurisdiction in the crisis. Bangladesh is a member of
the court, but Myanmar is not.
FEARS OF
MORE VIOLENCE
Myanmar had stepped
up police patrols in northern Rakhine state fearing fresh attacks by militants
around the anniversary, government spokesman Zaw Htay said.
"We are very,
very concerned about the possibility of terrorist attacks and we've already
picked up security enforcement," said Zaw Htay.
ARSA said on
Saturday it would "continue our struggle for our right to exist".
The group had
"come to existence only to defend, salvage and protect Rohingya
people" from the Myanmar government and military, it said in a statement
attributed to its chief, Ata Ullah, and posted on a Twitter account previously
used by it.
In the Rakhine state
capital of Sittwe, the state's biggest political party, the Arakan National
Party, held a ceremony to commemorate security personnel and Rakhine and Hindu
people they say were killed by Rohingya insurgents in the attacks.
In Myanmar's main
city, Yangon, another group said it was holding a prayer ceremony at a Hindu
temple later on Saturday.
Myanmar's government
said ARSA was responsible for the deaths of non-Muslim villagers as well as
security personnel last year. The group denies targeting civilians.
Sources: Reuters