Page 10 - ATODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Monday 19 deceMber 2016

Amnesty warns Myanmar over treatment of Rohingya

DAKE KANG Refugees told Amnesty
Associated Press that the military is torch-
BANGKOK (AP) — The ing villages. Satellite im-
actions of Myanmar’s ages Amnesty obtained
military may constitute show 1,200 burned struc-
crimes against human- tures, which they say is
ity, human rights group in line with images re-
Amnesty International leased by Human Rights
has warned, based on Watch in November that
accounts of violence showed 1,500 burned
against the country’s homes.
Muslim Rohingya minor- Amnesty’s report fol-
ity. lows concerns voiced
Myanmar has come un- in an International Crisis
der heavy criticism for Group report released
its army’s forceful treat- last week that repres-
ment of the Rohingya, sive government policies
and international human are radicalizing the Ro-
rights groups such as hingya, and sharp criti-
Amnesty have accused cism from the U.N.’s High
the military of mass mur- Commissioner for Hu-
der, looting and rape. man Rights, Zeid Ra’ad
“The Myanmar military In this Dec. 3, 2016 photo, Rohingya women and children wait in a queue to collect water at the al-Hussein.
has targeted Rohingya Leda camp, an unregistered camp for Rohingya in Teknaf, near Cox’s Bazar, a southern coastal “Myanmar’s handling
civilians in a callous and district about, 296 kilometers (183 miles) south of Dhaka, Bangladesh. of northern Rakhine is a
systematic campaign of Associated Press lesson in how to make a
violence,” said Rafendi violence in 2012 left hun- bad situation worse,” al-
Djamin, Southeast Asia dreds dead and drove Hussein said in Geneva
director for Amnesty 140,000 people into in- on Friday. “The results
International. “The de- ternal displacement have been catastroph-
plorable actions of the camps. ic, with mass displace-
military could be part Amnesty cautioned that ment, the nurturing of
of a widespread and the scale and extent of violent extremism, and
systematic attack on a the violence is unclear, everybody ultimately
civilian population and as the military has closed losing.”The border at-
may amount to crimes Rakhine to outside ob- tacks were coordinat-
against humanity.” servers, including aid ed by a new insurgent
Amnesty released a re- workers. But eyewitness group calling itself Hara-
port Monday outlining accounts detail specific kah al-Yaqin, or the Faith
its accusations. The re- cases of murder, looting Movement, according
port comes as Myanmar and rape. to the Belgium-based In-
leader Aung San Suu In one incident on Nov. ternational Crisis Group.
Kyi is set to meet fellow 12, following an al- Organized by a network
members of the Associa- leged skirmish between of Rohingya in Saudi
tion of Southeast Asians the army and villag- Arabia and bankrolled
Nations at a Monday ers armed mostly with by wealthy donors, the
meeting in Yangon. swords and other simple militant group is being
The military sweeps were weapons, helicopter called a “game chang-
sparked by an Oct. 9 at- gunships descended on er” for drawing Muslims
tack on police outposts a village and sprayed disillusioned and desper-
in Rakhine state that bullets indiscriminately, ate from years of disen-
killed nine officers. killing civilians fleeing in franchisement by the
Rakhine, located in a panic, Amnesty said. Myanmar government.
Myanmar’s west, has This was corroborated Amnesty is urging the
long been home to to an extent by Myan- government to imme-
simmering tensions be- mar army officials, who diately cease hostilities,
tween the Rohingya and said helicopters opening open Rakhine for hu-
the country’s Buddhist fire that day and killed manitarian aid groups,
majority population. The six people, who officials and allow independent
last major outbreak of said were insurgents. investigations.q