Photos Reveal Massacre of Over 600 Rohingya by Arakan Army Amid
Global Silence and Media Blackout
In one
of the most horrific and silent massacres targeting the Muslim minority in
Myanmar, Rohingya activists and human rights organizations have circulated
harrowing images documenting a mass killing perpetrated by the separatist
"Arakan Army." The massacre claimed the lives of over 600 Rohingya
Muslims in the village of "Tan Shwe Khan," located in Buthidaung
Township, Rakhine State, western Myanmar, on May 2, 2024, according to the
Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC).
The
recently surfaced images confirm that the atrocities in Rakhine are neither
rumors nor exaggerations—they are a bloody reality unfolding under tight
censorship and a deliberate communication blackout. This has deprived media
outlets and rights groups of access, leaving the Rohingya to face death in
complete silence, far from the world’s gaze.
According
to the ARNC, the victims included women, children, the elderly, people with
disabilities, and pregnant women. Human skeletal remains, fragments of men’s
and women’s clothing, and small bones—believed to belong to children—were
discovered at the site.
Ni San
Lwin, Vice President of the ARNC, stated that the photos were taken in March,
but could not be shared until some survivors managed to flee to Bangladesh. He
added that the actual death toll may exceed 700 or even 800, with entire
families reportedly wiped out.
In
heart-wrenching survivor testimonies, it was confirmed that the Arakan Army had
forcibly expelled residents from the village, while those who remained were
falsely accused of collaborating with the Myanmar military and then brutally
killed.
One
resident recounted that over 10 members of his family were murdered, with only
one relative surviving because he happened to be in a nearby village at the
time of the massacre.
Field
investigations revealed that some bodies were burned using fuel in an attempt
to conceal the crime. However, the images survived and were not erased. A
doctor who reviewed the photos suggested that some of the victims were
children, based on the position and size of the skulls.
Ijaz Min
Khant from the organization "Fortify Rights" confirmed they have
documented testimonies from survivors and a list containing the names of over
100 victims. He emphasized that what occurred constitutes a systematic war
crime that requires an urgent international investigation.
The ARNC
stated it is continuing to collect evidence to hold the perpetrators
accountable before international justice and urged the global community to
refer the case to the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Under
the control of the Arakan Army, the Rohingya suffer from widespread and
systematic abuses, including the closure and seizure of their homes,
confiscation of their property, forced displacement of families, and severe
restrictions on their movement within villages, enforced through military
checkpoints.
The
Arakan Army launched its military campaign against the Myanmar military in
November 2023 and has since taken control of 14 out of 17 townships in Rakhine
State. The Rohingya have paid a heavy price in this conflict, becoming victims
of violence, displacement, and oppression by both warring sides. This comes
after they had already suffered a genocide campaign by the Myanmar military in
2017, which forced nearly one million Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.
(Source:
Arakan News Agency)
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