Over 1,000 structures destroyed in Myanmar’s Rohingya villages

Over 800 structures have been destroyed in Burma’s Rakhine State, where five different ethnic Rohingya villages lie, between November 10 to 18, Human Rights Watch reported on Monday.

“The security forces must not be given carte blanche to step up their operations under the smokescreen of having allowed access to an international delegation. Urgent action is needed to bring resolution to the situation,” UN special rapporteur on Burma said.

The latest satellite images show the total number of destroyed has been documented to 1,250, according to HRW.

Human Rights Watch identified a total of 820 destroyed buildings in five villages of Maungdaw District from an analysis of very high resolution satellite imagery recorded on 10, 17 and 18 November 2016. (HRW)

“These alarming new satellite images confirm that the destruction in Rohingya villages is far greater and in more places than the government has admitted,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The apparent arson attacks against five Rohingya villages is a matter of grave concern for which the Burmese government needs to investigate and prosecute those responsible. UN participation is crucial for such an investigation to be credible.”

The Rohingya are Muslim Indo-Aryan peoples found in the Rakhine State of Myanmar. Even with their number at an estimated 1.1 million in Burma, they are systematically denied political representation. Scores are fleeing to Bangladesh because of a military crackdown and destruction of their villages.