Myanmar security forces probe Rohingya prison deaths

Hundreds of Rohingya are thought to have been killed during the army campaign launched 4 months ago

Myanmar’s security forces are investigating the deaths of eight Rohingya in custody who were among hundreds arrested during a military crackdown in the north of Rakhine state, the government said yesterday, reports AFP from Yangon.
Hundreds of Rohingya are thought to have been killed during the army campaign launched four months ago after militants carried out deadly raids on police border posts.
Some 73,000 have fled to Bangladesh to escape the “clearance operations”, which the UN said have been used as a cover for security forces to butcher and rape civilians from the loathed Muslim minority.
Several escapees interviewed by UN investigators in Bangladesh described being arrested and then beaten and tortured while in custody.
The government has pledged to investigate the claims after spending months rejecting similar allegations collected by rights groups and journalists.
Myanmar said this month at least 585 people have been arrested since the crackdown began, including eight who died from diseases while in custody.
Presidential spokesman Zaw Htay said yesterday two teams had arrived in Maungdaw to investigate complaints relating to the deaths, without giving further details.
“The police have formed an investigation team led by a senior police officer. Likewise, the military has formed an investigation team led by a Tatmadaw (army) inspector general,” he told the news agency.
“There have been complaints. The investigation teams have accepted (them) and are investigating whether those complaints are true or not.”
Myanmar’s persecution of the more than one million Rohingya who live in Rakhine state has long drawn international criticism.
But the recent crackdown has soured the elation surrounding the 2015 election of the country’s first civilian government in a generation, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi.
Malaysia has accused her of overseeing “genocide” of the Rohingya while the UN report said the violence in northern Rakhine is so severe it “very likely” amounted to crimes against humanity.
As yet, there has been little fallout for security forces.
Three police officers were sentenced to two months detention by an internal police tribunal over a video showing them abusing Rohingya civilians, security sources told the news agency this month.
Three senior police including a major were also demoted and their service terms were reduced for failing to enforce discipline.
Meanwhile, Myanmar police are investigating the murder of four people in northern Rakhine state, the government said Tuesday, days after ending a military campaign in the area the UN has compared to ethnic cleansing.
The corpses of three women and a man were found buried in a field near Luuphanpyin village in Maungdaw township last Thursday, according to the office of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. “A man’s dead body was found with deep wounds in the left armpit and the head cracked open,” her office said in a statement.
“Two of the three women had deep wounds on their backs and broken spines. The other had no (visible) internal injuries,” the statement added without detailing who the victims were.
The bodies were discovered the day after the government announced the end of army “clearance operations” in the north of the ethnically divided state that were launched to find militants who attacked police posts in October. The United Nations has said this was used as a cover for a four-month crackdown in which security forces butchered hundreds of Rohingya Muslims.

 

Myanmar security forces probe Rohingya prison deaths

Hundreds of Rohingya are thought to have been killed during the army campaign launched 4 months ago

Myanmars security forces are investigating the deaths of eight Rohingya in custody who were among hundreds arrested during a military crackdown in the north of Rakhine state, the government said yesterday, reports AFP from Yangon. Hundreds of Rohingya are thought to have been killed during the army campaign launched four months ago after militants carried out deadly raids on police border posts. Some 73,000 have fled to Bangladesh to escape the clearance operations, which the UN said have been used as a cover for security forces to butcher and rape civilians from the loathed Muslim minority. Several escapees interviewed by UN investigators in Bangladesh described being arrested and then beaten and tortured while in custody. The government has pledged to investigate the claims after spending months rejecting similar allegations collected by rights groups and journalists. Myanmar said this month at least 585 people have been arrested since the crackdown began, including eight who died from diseases while in custody. Presidential spokesman Zaw Htay said yesterday two teams had arrived in Maungdaw to investigate complaints relating to the deaths, without giving further details. The police have formed an investigation team led by a senior police officer. Likewise, the military has formed an investigation team led by a Tatmadaw (army) inspector general, he told the news agency. There have been complaints. The investigation teams have accepted (them) and are investigating whether those complaints are true or not. Myanmars persecution of the more than one million Rohingya who live in Rakhine state has long drawn international criticism. But the recent crackdown has soured the elation surrounding the 2015 election of the countrys first civilian government in a generation, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi. Malaysia has accused her of overseeing genocide of the Rohingya while the UN report said the violence in northern Rakhine is so severe it very likely amounted to crimes against humanity. As yet, there has been little fallout for security forces. Three police officers were sentenced to two months detention by an internal police tribunal over a video showing them abusing Rohingya civilians, security sources told the news agency this month. Three senior police including a major were also demoted and their service terms were reduced for failing to enforce discipline. Meanwhile, Myanmar police are investigating the murder of four people in northern Rakhine state, the governmentsaid Tuesday, days after ending a military campaign in the area the UN has compared to ethnic cleansing. The corpses of three women and a man were found buried in a field near Luuphanpyin village in Maungdaw township last Thursday, according to the office of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi. A mans dead body was found with deep wounds in the left armpit and the head cracked open, her office said in a statement. Two of the three women had deep wounds on their backs and broken spines. The other had no (visible) internal injuries, the statement added without detailing who the victims were. The bodies were discovered the day after the government announced the end of army clearance operations in the north of the ethnically divided state that were launched to find militants who attacked police posts in October. The United Nations has said this was used as a cover for a four-month crackdown in which security forces butchered hundreds of Rohingya Muslims.