Myanmar’s Rakhine State is being militarised at an alarming pace, as authorities are building security force bases and bulldozing land where Rohingya villages were burned to the ground just months ago, Amnesty International said on Monday.
After internationally condemned ethnic cleansing of the Rakhine state, Myanmar’s military is building bases where some of the Rohingya community homes and mosques once stood, said Amnesty International
Citing evidence from satellite imagery, the rights organisation “Remaking Rakhine State” report published Monday, used eyewitness testimony and expert analyses of satellite images to reveal how the flattening of Rohingya villages and new construction has intensified since January.
“What we are seeing in Rakhine State is a land grab by the military on a dramatic scale. New bases are being erected to house the very same security forces that have committed crimes against humanity against Rohingya,” said Tirana Hassan, Amnesty International’s Crisis Response Director.
“This makes the voluntary, safe and dignified return of Rohingya refugees an even more distant prospect. Not only are their homes gone, but the new construction is entrenching the already dehumanizing discrimination they have faced in Myanmar. The bulldozing of entire villages is incredibly worrying. Myanmar’s authorities are erasing evidence of crimes against humanity, making any future attempts to hold those responsible to account extremely difficult,” added Ms Hassan.
The new report by Amnesty International , confirms that at least three new security bases are being built in the Northern Rakhine State.
