HRW satellite images show destruction of 288 Rohingya villages

A set of satellite images released on Tuesday by global rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW) have shown the charred remains of at least 288 villages destroyed in fire by Myanmar's army in northern Rakhine State. 

The images released by HRW in its report, show destruction of tens of thousands of structures, primarily homes of ethnic Rohingya Muslims, who have fled to Bangladesh after a massive operation by Myanmar army against the Rohingya rebels and ordinary villagers.

TRT World's Ben Said has more. 

Some 582,000 Rohingya are now known to have fled since violence erupted when rebels of Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) hit army bases and police posts on August 25 followed by a campaign of what the UN has declared "ethnic cleansing" by the military.

"These latest satellite images show why over half a million Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in just four weeks," the report quoted Phil Robertson, HRW's deputy Asia director, as saying.

"The Burmese military destroyed hundreds of Rohingya villages while committing killings, rapes, and other crimes against humanity that forced Rohingya to flee for their lives," he said, using another name of Myanmar.

HRW said the imagery suggested that the burning of Rohingya villages continued despite officials claimed to have ceased the "clearance operation".

"It also shows that at least 66 villages were burned after September 5, when security force operations supposedly ended, according to a September 18 speech by State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi," HRW said.

The rights group said it monitored a total of 866 villages in Maungdaw, Rathedaung, and Buthidaung townships and "the most damage occurred in Maungdaw Township, accounting for approximately 90 percent of the areas where destruction happened between August 25 and September 25."

The Myanmar government denies setting Rohingya hamlets on fire and instead blames ARSA rebels and Muslims villagers for burning down villages.

HRW said its interviews in Bangladesh with over 100 Rohingya refugees gave no indication of Myanmar government's claims.

"The shocking images of destruction in Burma [Myanma] and burgeoning refugee camps in Bangladesh are two sides of the same coin of human misery being inflicted on the Rohingya," Robertson said.

Amnesty identifies army units responsible for violence

On Wednesday, another rights watchdog, Amnesty International (AI) blamed Myanmar's military for a "systematic, organised and ruthless" campaign of violence against the Rohingya Muslims in the Buddhist-majority country. 

Amnesty quoting witnesses said the violence "consistently implicated" specific army units, including the army’s Western Command, the 33rd Light Infantry Division, and the country's Border Guard Police. 

"In this orchestrated campaign, Myanmar's security forces have brutally meted out revenge on the entire Rohingya population of northern Rakhine State, in an apparent attempt to permanently drive them out of the country. These atrocities continue to fuel the region's worst refugee crisis in decades," said Tirana Hassan, Crisis Response Director at Amnesty International.

"The Commander-in-Chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, must take immediate action to stop his troops from committing atrocities," she said.