Rohingya flee army crackdown MYANMAR

SITTWE: Hundreds of Rohingya Muslims are fleeing a military crackdown from here to Bangladesh, trying to escape an upsurge of violence that has brought the number of dead confirmed by the army to number more than 130.

Some were gunned down as they tried to cross the Naaf river that separates Myanmar and Bangladesh, while others arriving by boat were pushed away by Bangladeshi border guards and might be stranded at sea, residents said.

The bloodshed is the most serious since hundreds were killed in communal clashes in Rakhine in 2012.

It has exposed the lack of oversight of the military by the seven-monthold administration of Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.

Soldiers have poured into the area along the country’s frontier with Bangladesh, responding to coordinated attacks on three border posts on Oct 9 that killed nine policemen.

They have locked down the district, where themost of the residents are Rohingya, shutting out aid workers and independent observers.

The army intensified its operation in the last seven days and used choppers to reinforce, with dozens reported killed.

Aid workers, camp residents and authorities in Bangladesh said at least 500 Rohingya had fled the country since the October attacks.

The refugees are now staying in four camps on the Bangladeshi side of the border, they say.

But on Tuesday, Bangladeshi border guards pushed back a large group of Rohingya trying to cross.

“On Tuesday, 86 Rohingya including 40 women and 25 children were pushed back by the BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh) from the Teknaf border point,” said LieutenantColonel Anwarul Azim, commanding officer of the Cox’s Bazar sector in eastern Bangladesh.

“They tried to enter Bangladesh and came by two engine-operated boats. We have beefed up our patrolling, and additional forces have been engaged to ensure security in the border area.”

The stateless Rohingya are seen by many Myanmar Buddhists as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh.

Colonel Htain Lin, Border Affairs Minister of the Rakhine state government, refused to comment.

Police Major Kyaw Mya Win, from the Maungdaw police, said the people were trying to escape because they tried to attack the military.

“The villagers have become insurgents, including women,” he said.

The recent upsurge in violence has brought the number of suspected militants killed to 102 since Oct 9, while the security forces’ toll stands at 32, according to a tally based on state media releases.

Four Rohingya from northern Rakhine on Wednesday confirmed that hundreds were trying to escape and cross the river to Bangladesh. They said some were killed when the military shot into the crowd on the river bank.

Residents and rights advocates have accused security forces of summary executions, rape and setting fire to homes in the recent violence. The government and army reject the accusations.

Diplomats have appealed for an independent and credible investigation, but the government has not announced any plans to carry it out, instead cautioning against a “misinformation campaign” by a “violent group based in Rakhine”. Reuters