Myanmar’s military has admitted for the first time that it has been involved in the killing of Rohingya Muslims, in a statement released earlier today.
A statement from the military commander-in-chief said that the four soldiers had killed 10 "Bengali terrorists" in Inn Din village near Maungdaw.
"It is true that both the villagers and security forces admitted they killed the 10 Bengali terrorists," said the statement posted on social media. "This incident happened because ethnic Buddhist villagers were threatened and provoked by the terrorists."
The military went on to state, "the army will take charge of those who are responsible for the killings and who broke the rules of engagement”.
Human Rights Watch's Asia advocacy director John Sifton criticised the military’s attempted to investigate itself noting that “this is not an institution that has any credibility”. “That is precisely why you need international observers and investigators involved now,” he added.
His comments were reiterated by James Gomez, Amnesty International’s regional director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, who said the admission from the military “is only the tip of the iceberg and warrants serious independent investigation into what other atrocities were committed amid the ethnic cleansing campaign”.
