Human
Rights Watch (HRW) says nearly 300 villages of the persecuted
Rohingya Muslim minority have been burned in Myanmar since the
outbreak of the latest military offensive in restive Rakhine state.
At least 288 villages in Rakhine
have been partially or totally destroyed by fire since August 25, the
HRW reported, according to information gathered on satellite images.
According to the HRW, the greatest
damage occurred in Maungdaw township, which accounted for some 90
percent of the areas where destruction happened between August 25 and
September 25.
Phil Robertson, deputy Asia
director for the HRW, said in a statement that the army had committed
numerous crimes during the crackdown across the violence-hit region.
"The Burmese military destroyed hundreds of Rohingya villages
while committing killings, rapes, and other crimes against humanity
that forced Rohingya to flee for their lives," said
Robertson. "These latest satellite images show why over
half a million Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in just four weeks."
The United Nations said on Tuesday
some 582,000 Rohingya refugees had fled their homes in Myanmar and
arrived in Bangladesh since late August. The world body also warned
that thousands more were stranded at the border.
Many of those who have managed to
take refuge in Bangladesh say Myanmar's soldiers and Buddhist mobs
have been attacking civilians and burning down their homes.
The unprecedented influx of
refugees has put immense pressure on Bangladeshi authorities and
charities. They have described the crisis as one of the world's most
pressing humanitarian emergencies.
Myanmar has long faced
international criticism for its treatment of Rohingya Muslims, who
are denied citizenship and live in conditions rights groups have
compared to those of the Blacks under the former apartheid regime in
South Africa.
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