A total of 113 people have now been arrested for alleged involvement in last month's attacks in Myanmar’s western Rakhine State, some of whom could face the death penalty.
Nine border police officials were killed and dozens of weapons and thousands of rounds of ammunition were stolen Oct. 9. when around 400 armed men attacked three police station outposts in Maungdaw and Yathay Taung Townships.
Myanmar troops have since been searching villages predominantly occupied by the country’s Rohingya population for the assailants and stolen weapons. (Courtesy of aa.com.tr)
November 6, 2016
Myanmar gov't asked to step in to stop non-Muslim force
A Bangkok-based human rights group is calling on the Myanmar government to "immediately" intervene in a regional government's plan to arm non-Muslim civilians in a predominantly Muslim area of northern Rakhine State.
In a statement released Saturday, Matthew Smith, chief executive officer at Fortify Rights, called the move "highly inadvisable and dangerous".
“If the government wants to improve security, it should take urgent action to protect members of all races and religions and immediately provide free and unfettered access to aid groups.” (Courtesy of aa.com.tr)
In a statement released Saturday, Matthew Smith, chief executive officer at Fortify Rights, called the move "highly inadvisable and dangerous".
“If the government wants to improve security, it should take urgent action to protect members of all races and religions and immediately provide free and unfettered access to aid groups.” (Courtesy of aa.com.tr)
Myanmar involved in cleansing Rakhine of Muslims: Activist
Diplomats from the UN, the EU and the US have urged Myanmar to launch a transparent investigation into human rights violations against Rohingya Muslims in its western Rakhine state. The request on Friday came after a two-day visit to the region, where Myanmar’s security forces stand accused of rape, torture, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests and burning of homes.
Jahangir Mohammad, director of the Center for Muslim Affairs from Manchester, said Myanmar’s government and military are pursuing the agenda of ethnic cleansing in Muslim-populated areas.
“We’ve seen over the last four or five years that the Rohingya Muslims are being slowly cleansed from society," he told Press TV. (Courtesy of presstv.com)
Jahangir Mohammad, director of the Center for Muslim Affairs from Manchester, said Myanmar’s government and military are pursuing the agenda of ethnic cleansing in Muslim-populated areas.
“We’ve seen over the last four or five years that the Rohingya Muslims are being slowly cleansed from society," he told Press TV. (Courtesy of presstv.com)
November 5, 2016
Rallying behind an old enemy in Burma
EVER since the 9 October attacks on police outposts in Burma’s Rakhine State led to the deployment of security forces to the region, numerous reports have emerged of rapes, arson attacks and extra-judicial killings of Rohingya. Those responsible for the initial attack, which left nine policemen dead, appear to have been Rohingya. Whether they came from Rakhine State or from Bangladesh, or both, is unclear.
But the response by security forces has been to place the entire area on lockdown as troops sweep through Rohingya villages searching for the militants. The government in Naypyidaw has roundly dismissed reports of abuses. “All are well convinced that the accusations of international media of violations of human rights of local residents during Maungtaw area clearance operations were intentionally fabricated in collusion with terrorist groups,” said a statement from the Ministry of Information. Aung San Suu Kyi — currently in Japan, despite the worst crisis faced by her six-month old administration — said on 3 November that security forces were abiding by the “rule of law”. (Courtesy of asiancorrespondent.com)
But the response by security forces has been to place the entire area on lockdown as troops sweep through Rohingya villages searching for the militants. The government in Naypyidaw has roundly dismissed reports of abuses. “All are well convinced that the accusations of international media of violations of human rights of local residents during Maungtaw area clearance operations were intentionally fabricated in collusion with terrorist groups,” said a statement from the Ministry of Information. Aung San Suu Kyi — currently in Japan, despite the worst crisis faced by her six-month old administration — said on 3 November that security forces were abiding by the “rule of law”. (Courtesy of asiancorrespondent.com)
Myanmar Times joins the enemies of press freedom
As some of you may know I was fired from the Myanmar Times this week after the presidential spokesman Zaw Htay named me personally on his face book page last Friday and accused me of bias in a report I wrote on alleged military rapes of Muslim women in northern Rakhine.
As would be expected given sensitivities in Myanmar, the posts generated a considerable amount of hate speech against myself and the paper.
The reason given for my sacking was that the rape allegations story and "several" other unidentified articles I had written breached company policy by damaging national reconciliation and the paper's reputation. (Courtesy of yangon.coconuts.co)
As would be expected given sensitivities in Myanmar, the posts generated a considerable amount of hate speech against myself and the paper.
The reason given for my sacking was that the rape allegations story and "several" other unidentified articles I had written breached company policy by damaging national reconciliation and the paper's reputation. (Courtesy of yangon.coconuts.co)
Myanmar freedom of speech under threat amid Rakhine violence: monitors
Human rights monitors have raised concerns about press freedom in Myanmar after a journalist at an English-language newspaper said she was fired following government criticism of her reporting of allegations of rape by soldiers.
Violence in the north of troubled Rakhine State, which began with deadly attacks on border police posts on Oct. 9, has sparked the biggest crisis of de facto Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi's seven months in power.
Troops poured into the region after the attacks, which the government says were carried out by minority Rohingya Muslims with links to militant Islamists overseas.
The military operation has sharpened the tension between Suu Kyi's civilian administration and the army, which ruled the country for decades and retains key powers, including control of ministries responsible for security. (Courtesy of reuters.com)
Violence in the north of troubled Rakhine State, which began with deadly attacks on border police posts on Oct. 9, has sparked the biggest crisis of de facto Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi's seven months in power.
Troops poured into the region after the attacks, which the government says were carried out by minority Rohingya Muslims with links to militant Islamists overseas.
The military operation has sharpened the tension between Suu Kyi's civilian administration and the army, which ruled the country for decades and retains key powers, including control of ministries responsible for security. (Courtesy of reuters.com)
October 31, 2016
Arakan govt to form new militia to police border
The Arakan State government says it will form a militia to bolster defenses along Burma’s border with Bangladesh in the wake of a series of deadly attacks earlier this month, according to Maungdaw Township’s new border police commander.
Police Brig-Gen Thura San Lwin, who was appointed to the position two week ago after his predecessor was sacked for failing to prevent the 9 October attacks that left nine border police dead, said the new “volunteer police force” would operate under the supervision of the border police.
Police are “working to train local young people to safeguard their own areas and villages and State Chief Minister [Nyi Pyu] also gave advice,” he said, adding that new recruits would be aged between 18 and 35 and have at least a primary-school education. (Courtesy of dvb.no)
Police Brig-Gen Thura San Lwin, who was appointed to the position two week ago after his predecessor was sacked for failing to prevent the 9 October attacks that left nine border police dead, said the new “volunteer police force” would operate under the supervision of the border police.
Police are “working to train local young people to safeguard their own areas and villages and State Chief Minister [Nyi Pyu] also gave advice,” he said, adding that new recruits would be aged between 18 and 35 and have at least a primary-school education. (Courtesy of dvb.no)
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