Rohingya villages still being torched in Myanmar: Amnesty

Amnesty International has assessed three new videos and satellite images that found that Rohingya villages are still being burned in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

The videos show large plumes of smoke rising from the Rohingya villages as recently as Friday afternoon, one of which was already deserted, as well as the imagery with smoke visible over burnt-out structures.

Local sources claim the fires were started by members of the Myanmar security forces and local vigilante mobs, reports Amnesty International.

“This damning evidence from the ground and from space flies in the face of Aung Suu Kyi’s assertions to the world that what she called military ‘clearance operations’ in Rakhine State ended on 5 September,” said Tirana Hasan, director of Crisis Response at Amnesty International.

She said, “Almost three weeks later, we can see in real time how there is no let-up in the campaign of violence against Rohingya in northern Rakhine State, reports news agencies.

The director said that the Rohingya homes and villages continue to burn, before, during and after their inhabitants take flight in terror.

Not satisfied with simply forcing Rohingya from their homes, authorities seem intent on ensuring they have no homes to return to, Tirana added.

Hasan called for action from world leaders.

“The time has come and gone for giving Myanmar’s military and political leadership the benefit of the doubt. The international community must be unequivocal in its condemnation and take effective action to halt this ethnic cleansing campaign as well as bring the perpetrators to account,” she said.

A violent military crackdown following militant attacks on Aug 25 led to nearly 429,000 Rohingya refugees fleeing across the border to Bangladesh.

On Sept 19, Myanmar’s de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, in her first address since the start of the latest violence, claimed there had been no conflict or clearance operations since Sept 5.

The following day Myanmar Vice President Henry Van Thio told the UN that the country’s security forces had been ordered to take ‘full measures’ to avoid collateral damage and harming innocent civilians.