Eight people died and 36 were arrested in clashes between the Burmese army and what the Burmese government believes are Rohingya Muslim militants, state media said yesterday, in the largest escalation of the month-old conflict yet.
Skirmishes took place throughout Saturday in villages in the north of Rakhine, leaving one officer and one soldier dead. Six bodies of attackers were recovered in the aftermath, while 36 other people believed to be involved were arrested.
About 60 attackers armed with guns, knives and spears ambushed Burmese government troops on Saturday morning, the state-owned Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said.
Photo: AP
The army returned fire, but at one point asked for army helicopters for reinforcement because its troops were outnumbered, the paper said.
Burmese troops have poured into Rakhine, close to the border with Bangladesh, since Oct. 9, after an insurgent group of Rohingyas that the government believes has links to militants overseas launched coordinated attacks on several border posts, killing nine police officers.
Residents and human rights advocates have accused security forces of summary executions, rapes and setting fire to homes.
The Burmese government and the army have rejected the accusations, saying they were conducting the “clearance operation” in the villages in accordance with the rule of law.
The troops at one point were shot at by about 500 men, state media said.
Burmese Ministry of Information Director Ye Naing yesterday said the insurgents were hiding among the villagers and not all of the 500 people were militants.
Security forces recovered a weapon and ammunition similar to arms taken away by the attackers on Oct. 9, state media reported.
Hundreds of buildings in Rohingya villages in western Myanmar have been torched, new satellite images released yesterday show.
The crisis and reports of grave rights abuses being carried out in tandem with a security crackdown have piled international pressure on Myanmar’s new civilian government and raised questions about its ability to control its military.
Authorities have heavily restricted access to the area for journalists and aid workers.
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