Myanmar will take action against 10 security personnel in connection with the killing of some captured Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine state in September 2017, Reuters reported on Sunday. The seven soldiers and three policemen, besides six villagers, will face “action according to law” based on an Army investigation, government spokesperson Zaw Htay said.
He did not specify what action would be taken against the 16 people. He had told Reuters on Thursday that the government would investigate if there was “strong and reliable primary evidence” of abuses.
On January 10, Myanmar’s military had said its security forces and Buddhist villagers in Rakhine had killed 10 Rohingya Muslims whose bodies were found in a mass grave in the Inn Din village. A Reuters report on February 8 described the events leading up to the incident, and how the 10 Rohingyas were buried in a mass grave after being hacked to death or shot by Buddhist villagers and soldiers.
However, the government denied the action was a result of the report.
Nearly seven lakh Rohingya Muslims have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh since August 25, 2017, after a militant attack on security forces resulted in a violent crackdown. The United Nations and the United States called it the “ethnic cleansing” of the Muslim minority community. The Human Rights Watch said the military massacred people and raped, arbitrarily arrested and set ablaze hundreds of predominantly Rohingya villages in Rakhine state.
Myanmar treats Rohingyas as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and does not acknowledge their rights as an official ethnic group. The community has been subjected to massive violence by the Buddhist majority and the Army in Myanmar.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!