The situation in Arakan state this morning is dire. Renewed arson attacks took place on the villages of Minbya and Mro Haung at around 4.30pm local time. More than 100 are feared dead. Furthermore reports have come through of the rape of at least 26 young girls by security forces in the Rathadaung township.
This follows Rakhine newspapers this morning inciting further hatred towards the Rohingya with false claims and allegations that foreign militant organisations are suppliying the Rohingya with arms. The reality on the ground is a very different case – with Rohingya communities now seperated from Rakhine communities with little or no international aid being delivered to them.
It is thought that these morning reports were the catalyst for the mob of Rakhine attacking these two villages this afternoon. Many of the villagers from these areas have a deep history rooted in Arakan state, with many families having ancestors who served the Rakhine kingdom in previous generations.
The agenda, as laid out by President Thein Sein followng the meeting with UNHCR chief earlier this summer, seems to be playing out to perfect execution. Then Sein had said that either the Rohingya should be accepted by third countries, or that they should be moved into refugee camps administered by the UN. On the refusal of his proposal, Thein Sein has ordered semi permanant shelters to be built with thousands of Rohingya escorted to these ‘camps’ – in effect, he has created the refugee camps that he sought from the UN. These are methods of ethnic segregation; wanton killing for those who show any resistance, and of course the news this week that Burma will refuse the OIC (organisation of Islamic Countries – who had offered US$50 Million in aid to all affected in Arakan state) to set up their office in the Arakan, all paints a picture of severe persecution.
Speaking to us yesterday, Tun Khin, President of Burma Rohingya Organistion UK said ‘The time to talk about Human Rights violations is long gone, the violations have been happening since 1962’. He continued, ‘We are heading to the last phases. What we are seeing is ethnic cleansing – where the state, though support of Rakhine nationals are encouraging mobs to burn villages and kill Rohingya if they resist in being taken to the camps – these camps are squalid at best with little or no food supplies. Aside that more than 200,000 remain stranded in their own homes, unable to leave for fear of their life.’
In a seperate incident, there are unconfirmed reports that a mass grave of 200 Rohingya has been discovered today. More information will follow on this.
