Myanmar Army changes tune on Rohingya killing

Bangkok, Jan. 11: After months denying any wrongdoing, Myanmar has admitted its forces helped kill 10 Rohingya in custody in an apparent bid to blame a few rogue soldiers for what the global community alleges is part of an organised ethnic cleansing campaign.

Accounts of mass murder, rape and torture from the 655,000 Rohingya who fled Myanmar’s Army to Bangladesh have horrified the world.

Since the August crackdown the Army vigorously denied any abuses, instead locking down access to Rakhine state and accusing critics — including the UN — of pro- Rohingya bias and spreading “fake news”.

Then late on Wednesday it suddenly changed tune: an internal probe found four members of the “security forces” helped kill 10 Rohingya militant suspects at Inn Din village on September 2, leaving their bodies in a hastilydug pit. “It was found that the incident was not submitted to superior levels,” it said.

The unprecedented acknowledgment, relayed on the Facebook page of the office of army chief Min Aung Hlaing, rippled out across the rights community that has spent months piecing together allegations of numerous atrocities.

“This grisly admission is a sharp departure from the army’s policy of blanket denial of any wrongdoing,” said James Gomez, Amnesty International’s regional director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

“However, it is only the tip of the iceberg,” he added, urging independent investigation into other allegations.

Some observers say the army move is an attempt to retake control of the story after rumours of extra- judical killings at Inn Din and the surrounding area began to seep out. The admission came the same day as two Reuters journalists were formally charged by police in court with breaching the Official Secrets Act.

Since the August crackdown the Army vigorously denied any abuses Myanmar has admitted its forces helped kill 10 Rohingya in custody in an apparent bid to blame a few rogue soldiers for what the global community alleges is part of an organised ethnic cleansing campaign