Almost 70 killed in month of Rakhine violence

MYANMAR’S security forces have killed almost 70 people since taking control of northern Rakhine state last month, the army said, adding that media reports of widespread destruction in the area were “false news”.

Troops have poured into a strip of land along the border with Bangladesh, an area largely home to the Muslim Rohingya minority, since deadly raids on police border posts on October 9.

Clashes escalated over the weekend when troops killed more than 30 peo- ple in two days of fighting that saw the military use helicopter gunships for the first time.

A hunt for the attackers has seen a total of “69 Bengalis [Rohingya] killed and 234 arrested” between October 9 and November 14, according to a Facebook post by the army chief’s office late on Monday. “Seven soldiers, including one commanding officer . . . and 10 police sacrificed their lives.”

Myanmar’s army has tightly controlled information about their op- erations in the region and denies reports from activists that troops are killing civilians, raping women and torching homes.

Heavy restrictions on access to the area has made it difficult for foreign journalists and independent observers to verify the government reports or allegations of army abuse.

The army chief’s office also hit out at figures from Human Rights Watch, which released satellite images they said showed more than 400 razed buildings in three Rohingya villages where clashes have taken place.

The army statement said only 227 buildings had been burnt down and accused Rohingya “terrorist arsonists” of setting fire to houses in a bid to discredit the military.

The statement, titled Countering false news released by some news agencies in connection with area combing in Maungtaw area, Rakhine state, said army “officials are carrying out further scrutiny” of media reports.