Rakhine: Military accuse Rohingya for mass grave with 28 dead Hindus
The bodies of 20 women and eight men, including six boys under 10, were found. For the military, they were “cruelly and violently killed by ARSA extremist Bengali terrorists. About 30,000 displaced Hindus and Buddhists are in refugee camps. They say the United Nations and foreign organisations help only Rohingya Muslims. The exodus towards Bangladesh has slowed down, but thousands are still stuck in Myanmar.
Yangon (AsiaNews/Agencies) – As the Myanmar military announces the discovery of a mass grave with the bodies of 28 Hindus, including women and children, the exodus of Rohingya refugees towards Bangladesh continues but at a slower pace. Still, media reports note that tens of thousands are still trapped in the beaches and forests of Myanmar, waiting to flee.
The Myanmar military announced yesterday said they found a mass grave in Ye Baw Kya, a village in Kha Maung Seik, a cluster of Hindu and Muslim communities in northern Rakhine.
In total, 20 dead women and eight men were lying in two graves, including six boys under the age of 10. “Security members found and dug up 28 dead bodies of Hindus who were cruelly and violently killed by ARSA extremist Bengali terrorists in Rakhine State,” a statement on the army chief’s website said.
Around 30,000 Hindus and Buddhists based in the area have also been displaced by the violence, and are now in government-run camps. Members of both communities claim Rohingya militants terrorised them, killing their co-religionists, and taking women and children into forests.
The discovery of the mass grave could spur even more hatred among Rakhine’s various communities. At the same time, humanitarian workers are saying that they are becoming the object of growing hostility by ethnic Buddhists who accuse the United Nations and foreign organisations of helping only Muslims Rohingya, ignoring the needs of other groups.
So far, the Myanmar government has granted access to the area only Red Cross groups. The United Nations suspended its activities and evacuated non-critical staff after the government suggested that it had supported Rohingya insurgents.
Meanwhile, the massive exodus of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar to Bangladesh appears to be slowing down. However, those refugees who managed to cross the border say that tens of thousands of their coreligionists are still huddled near beaches or in forests, waiting to flee.
Some Rohingya who fled said that Myanmar Army soldiers were shooting at those trying to cross into to Bangladesh. Others are saying that thousands are still stuck in Myanmar because most boatmen have already crossed the Naf River, whilst soldiers burnt the remaining boats.
.png)
