The Chut Pyin massacre was a massacre of Rohingyas by the Myanmar Army and armed Rakhine locals that purportedly took place in the village of Chut Pyin, in Rakhine State, Myanmar on 25 August 2017, the same day Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) insurgents attacked security forces along the Bangladesh–Myanmar border. The event was first brought to attention after a report was published by Human Rights Watch, which detailed accounts of rape and killings from survivors.[3][4]
| Chut Pyin massacre | |
|---|---|
| Location | Chut Pyin, Rakhine State, Myanmar |
| Coordinates | 20°34′12″N 92°38′33″E / 20.5701°N 92.6426°E |
| Date | 26 August 2017 (UTC+6:30) |
| Target | Rohingya Muslims |
Attack type | Massacre |
| Weapons | Machine guns, machetes |
| Deaths | 130[1]–358[2] |
| Perpetrators | 33rd Light Infantry Division of the Myanmar Army |
| Motive | Anti-Rohingya sentiment, Islamophobia |
Background
editThe Rohingya people are an ethnic minority that mainly live in the northern region of Rakhine State, Myanmar, and have been described as one of the world's most persecuted minorities.[5][6][7] In modern times, the persecution of Rohingyas in Myanmar dates back to the 1970s.[8] Since then, Rohingya people have regularly been made the target of persecution by the government and nationalist Buddhists. The tension between various religious groups in the country had often been exploited by the past military governments of Myanmar.[5] According to Amnesty International, the Rohingya have suffered from human rights violations under past military dictatorships since 1978, and many have fled to neighbouring Bangladesh as a result.[9] In 2005, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees had assisted with the repatriation of Rohingyas from Bangladesh, but allegations of human rights abuses in the refugee camps threatened this effort.[10] In 2015, 140,000 Rohingyas remained in IDP camps after communal riots in 2012.[11]
On 25 August 2017, insurgents of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) launched a large-scale attack against security forces, leading to new "clearance operations" by the Myanmar government,[12] one of which was conducted in Chut Pyin.
Massacre
editAccording to eyewitnesses, the village of Chut Pyin was razed by Myanmar's security forces and local Rakhines on 26 August 2017, a day after attacks by ARSA on 25 August 2017.[13] Prior to the village's destruction, members of the security forces allegedly threatened and raped Rohingya women, whilst Rohingya men were either killed or detained as ARSA suspects.[4] In September 2017, the death count was reportedly 130;[1] in May 2018, the final death count from violence in Chut Pyin was 358.[2] Satellite imagery released on 16 September 2017 revealed that Chut Pyin had been completely burnt down.[14]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b Cochrane, Liam (1 September 2017). "Women, children feared among scores dead in Myanmar village 'massacre'". ABC News. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
- ^ a b Emont, Jon; Mandhana, Niharika (11 May 2018). "'We'll Turn Your Village Into Soil': Survivors Recount One of Myanmar's Biggest Massacres". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 11 May 2018.
- ^ "Burma: Widespread Rape of Rohingya Women, Girls". Human Rights Watch. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
- ^ a b Liautaud, Alexa (15 November 2017). "Burmese military "committed widespread rape" of fleeing Rohingya women". VICE News. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
- ^ a b Kevin Ponniah (5 December 2016). "Who will help Myanmar's Rohingya?". BBC News.
- ^ Matt Broomfield (10 December 2016). "UN calls on Burma's Aung San Suu Kyi to halt 'ethnic cleansing' of Rohingya Muslims". The Independent. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- ^ "New wave of destruction sees 1,250 houses destroyed in Myanmar's Rohingya villages". International Business Times. 21 November 2016.
- ^ "Rohingya Refugees Seek to Return Home to Myanmar". Voice of America. 30 November 2016. Retrieved 9 December 2016.
- ^ Amnesty International (2004). "Myanmar – The Rohingya Minority: Fundamental Rights Denied". Archived from the original on 13 December 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
- ^ "UNHCR threatens to wind up Bangladesh operations". New Age BDNEWS, Dhaka. 21 May 2005. Archived from the original on 25 April 2009. Retrieved 25 April 2007.
- ^ Head, Jonathan (1 July 2013). "The unending plight of Burma's unwanted Rohingyas". Retrieved 11 February 2015.
- ^ "Massacre at Tula Toli: Rohingya recall horror of Myanmar army attack". The Guardian. 7 September 2017. Retrieved 23 September 2017.
- ^ "Myanmar | Northern Rakhine State report" (PDF). ReliefWeb. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
- ^ "Myanmar | Northern Rakhine State report (cont.)" (PDF). ReliefWeb. Retrieved 19 July 2018.