Everything about BURMA (MYANMAR) killing of Muslims and politics of burma
They have been described as the world's most persecuted people.
Rejected by the country they call home and unwanted by its neighbours, the Rohingya are impoverished, virtually stateless and have been fleeing Myanmar in droves and for decades.
In recent months, tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh amid a military crackdown on insurgents in Myanmar's western Rakhine state.
They have told horrifying stories of rapes, killings and house burnings, which the government of Myanmar - formerly Burma - has claimed are "false" and "distorted".
Activists have condemned the lack of a firm international response. Some have described the situation as South East Asia's Srebrenica, referring to the July 1995 massacre of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims who were meant to be under UN protection - a dark stain on Europe's human rights record.
Tun Khin, from the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, says Rohingyas are suffering "mass atrocities" perpetrated by security forces in the northern part of Rakhine state.
A counter-insurgency campaign was launched after nine border policemen near Maungdaw were killed in a militant attack in early October, but the Rohingya say they are being targeted indiscriminately.
Media caption'They set our houses and mosque on fire'
Th criticia cannot visit the locked-down area to verify the claims and the Myanmar government has vociferously denied alleged abuses.
But UN officials have told the CRITICIA that the Rohingya are being collectively punished for militant attacks, with the ultimate goal being ethnic cleansing.
What led to the current situation?
The Rohingya are one of Myanmar's many ethnic minorities and say they are descendants of Arab traders and other groups who have been in the region for generations.
But Myanmar's government denies them citizenship and sees them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh - a common attitude among many Burmese.
The predominantly Buddhist country has a long history of communal mistrust, which was allowed to simmer, and was at times exploited, under decades of military rule.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Thousands of Rohingya have been forced to live in camps
About one million Muslim Rohingya are estimated to live in western Rakhine state, where they are a sizable minority. An outbreak of communal violence there in 2012 saw more than 100,000 people displaced, and tens of thousands of Rohingya remain in decrepit camps where travel is restricted.
Hundreds of thousands of undocumented Rohingya already live in Bangladesh, having fled there over many decades.
UN: Myanmar wants ethnic cleansing
Since a dramatic Rohingya exodus from Myanmar in 2015, the political party of Nobel Peace Prize winner and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi has taken power in a historic election, the first to be openly contested in 25 years.
But little has changed for the Rohingya and Ms Suu Kyi's failure to condemn the current violence is an outrage, say some observers.
"I'm not saying there are no difficulties,'' she told Singapore's Channel NewsAsia in December. "But it helps if people recognise the difficulty and are more focused on resolving these difficulties rather than exaggerating them so that everything seems worse than it really is.'
Her failure to defend the Rohingya is extremely disappointing, said Tun Khin, who for years had supported her democracy activism.
The question of whether she has much leverage over the military - which still wields great power and controls the most powerful ministries - is a separate one, he said.
"The point is that Aung San Suu Kyi is covering up this crime perpetrated by the military."
Image copyrightAFP
Aung San Suu Kyi mostly avoided the Rohingya question on a recent official visit to Singapore .But others say international media fail to understand the complex situation in Rakhine state, where Rohingya Muslims live alongside the mostly Buddhist Rakhine people, who are the state's dominant ethnic group.
Khin Mar Mar Kyi, a Myanmar researcher at Oxford University, told the South China Morning Post that the Rakhine were the "most marginalised minority" in Myanmar but were ignored by Western media, which she said displayed a "one-sided humanitarian passion".
Other researchers like Ronan Lee of Australia's Deakin University disagree with this argument, noting that while the Rakhine also face deprivation, "the solution when faced with massive rights violations is not to announce that someone else is worse off".
In her recent media comments, Ms Suu Kyi said Rakhine Buddhists "are worried about the fact that they are shrinking as a Rakhine population percentage-wise" and said she wanted to improve relations between the two communities.
A special Myanmar government committee appointed to investigate the ongoing violence in Rakhine state said in an interim report in early January that it had so far found no evidence to support claims of genocide against the Rohingya, nor to back up widespread rape allegations.
The report made no mention of claims that security forces had been killing civilians. Observers had, in any case, not had high hopes of a credible or independent investigation from the committee, which is headed by former general and current Vice-President Myint Swe.
South East Asian countries generally don't criticise each other about their internal affairs. It's a key principle of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean).
But the current situation has seen some strident criticism from Myanmar's Muslim-majority neighbours, along with protests. Indonesian police even say they have foiled an IS-linked bomb plot targeting the Myanmar embassy.
On 4 December, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak questioned Aung San Suu Kyi's Nobel Prize, given her inaction. "The world cannot sit by and watch genocide taking place. The world cannot just say 'look, it is not our problem'. It is our problem," he told thousands at a rally in Kuala Lumpur in support of the Rohingya.
His comments followed a call from Malaysia's youth and sports minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, for Asean to review Myanmar's membership over the "unacceptable" violence.
Some question the timing of the comments, given the unpopular Mr Razak is gearing up for re-election.
"What we want is both talk and action to really help the Rohingya, not just ministers posturing to gain domestic political points," said Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch.
In Bangladesh, which borders Rakhine state, Amnesty International says hundreds of fleeing Rohingya have been detained and forcibly returned to an uncertain fate since October - a practice it says should end. Bangladesh does not recognise the Rohingya as refugees.
Anger is building in Myanmar's Muslim-majority neighbours . Leading regional newspapers have condemned Asean's inaction, with Thailand's The Nation describing it as an "accessory to murder and mayhem".
A meeting of Asean foreign ministers to discuss the crisis was held on 19 December in Myanmar's capital, Yangon, but was dismissed as "largely an act of political theatre" by the Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights grouping.
Indonesia's ambassador to London, Rizal Sukma, told the CRITICIA in December that a comprehensive approach was needed.
He said an investigation with regional participation should be launched and that his country stood ready to participate if any such commission was to be formed.
A UN spokeswoman in 2009 described the Rohingya as "probably the most friendless people in the world".
The UN human rights office recently said for a second time this year that abuses suffered by them could amount to crimes against humanity. It also said that it regretted that the government had failed to act on a number of recommendations it had provided, including lifting restrictions of movement on the Rohingya.
It has called for an investigation into the recent allegations of rights abuses, as well as for humanitarian access to be given.
Image copyrightAFP
Image caption
Images of Rohingya migrants stranded at sea last year briefly captured the world's attention
The UN's refugee agency says Myanmar's neighbours should keep their borders open if desperate Rohingya once again take to rickety boats to seek refuge in their countries, as happened in early 2015.
Spokeswoman Vivian Tan said now would be a good time to set up a regional task force that had been proposed to co-ordinate a response to any such movements.
Read more: Kofi Annan downplays Myanmar genocide claims
Separately, former UN-Secretary General Kofi Annan is heading another advisory commission currently looking into the general situation in Rakhine state after being asked in August by Ms Suu Kyi.
But some have questioned how useful this commission will be, given the exhaustive number of reports that already exist. Its report, in any case, will not be released until later this year.
They have been described as the world's most persecuted people.
Rejected by the country they call home and unwanted by its neighbours, the Rohingya are impoverished, virtually stateless and have been fleeing Myanmar in droves and for decades.
In recent months, tens of thousands of Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh amid a military crackdown on insurgents in Myanmar's western Rakhine state.
They have told horrifying stories of rapes, killings and house burnings, which the government of Myanmar - formerly Burma - has claimed are "false" and "distorted".
Activists have condemned the lack of a firm international response. Some have described the situation as South East Asia's Srebrenica, referring to the July 1995 massacre of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims who were meant to be under UN protection - a dark stain on Europe's human rights record.
What's happening?
Tun Khin, from the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, says Rohingyas are suffering "mass atrocities" perpetrated by security forces in the northern part of Rakhine state.
A counter-insurgency campaign was launched after nine border policemen near Maungdaw were killed in a militant attack in early October, but the Rohingya say they are being targeted indiscriminately.
Media caption'They set our houses and mosque on fire'
Th criticia cannot visit the locked-down area to verify the claims and the Myanmar government has vociferously denied alleged abuses.
But UN officials have told the CRITICIA that the Rohingya are being collectively punished for militant attacks, with the ultimate goal being ethnic cleansing.
What led to the current situation?
The Rohingya are one of Myanmar's many ethnic minorities and say they are descendants of Arab traders and other groups who have been in the region for generations.
But Myanmar's government denies them citizenship and sees them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh - a common attitude among many Burmese.
The predominantly Buddhist country has a long history of communal mistrust, which was allowed to simmer, and was at times exploited, under decades of military rule.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Thousands of Rohingya have been forced to live in camps
About one million Muslim Rohingya are estimated to live in western Rakhine state, where they are a sizable minority. An outbreak of communal violence there in 2012 saw more than 100,000 people displaced, and tens of thousands of Rohingya remain in decrepit camps where travel is restricted.
Hundreds of thousands of undocumented Rohingya already live in Bangladesh, having fled there over many decades.
UN: Myanmar wants ethnic cleansing
Where is Aung San Suu Kyi?
Since a dramatic Rohingya exodus from Myanmar in 2015, the political party of Nobel Peace Prize winner and democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi has taken power in a historic election, the first to be openly contested in 25 years.
But little has changed for the Rohingya and Ms Suu Kyi's failure to condemn the current violence is an outrage, say some observers.
"I'm not saying there are no difficulties,'' she told Singapore's Channel NewsAsia in December. "But it helps if people recognise the difficulty and are more focused on resolving these difficulties rather than exaggerating them so that everything seems worse than it really is.'
Her failure to defend the Rohingya is extremely disappointing, said Tun Khin, who for years had supported her democracy activism.
The question of whether she has much leverage over the military - which still wields great power and controls the most powerful ministries - is a separate one, he said.
"The point is that Aung San Suu Kyi is covering up this crime perpetrated by the military."
Image copyrightAFP
Aung San Suu Kyi mostly avoided the Rohingya question on a recent official visit to Singapore .But others say international media fail to understand the complex situation in Rakhine state, where Rohingya Muslims live alongside the mostly Buddhist Rakhine people, who are the state's dominant ethnic group.
Khin Mar Mar Kyi, a Myanmar researcher at Oxford University, told the South China Morning Post that the Rakhine were the "most marginalised minority" in Myanmar but were ignored by Western media, which she said displayed a "one-sided humanitarian passion".
Other researchers like Ronan Lee of Australia's Deakin University disagree with this argument, noting that while the Rakhine also face deprivation, "the solution when faced with massive rights violations is not to announce that someone else is worse off".
In her recent media comments, Ms Suu Kyi said Rakhine Buddhists "are worried about the fact that they are shrinking as a Rakhine population percentage-wise" and said she wanted to improve relations between the two communities.
A special Myanmar government committee appointed to investigate the ongoing violence in Rakhine state said in an interim report in early January that it had so far found no evidence to support claims of genocide against the Rohingya, nor to back up widespread rape allegations.
The report made no mention of claims that security forces had been killing civilians. Observers had, in any case, not had high hopes of a credible or independent investigation from the committee, which is headed by former general and current Vice-President Myint Swe.
Will Myanmar's neighbours help?
South East Asian countries generally don't criticise each other about their internal affairs. It's a key principle of the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (Asean).
But the current situation has seen some strident criticism from Myanmar's Muslim-majority neighbours, along with protests. Indonesian police even say they have foiled an IS-linked bomb plot targeting the Myanmar embassy.
On 4 December, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak questioned Aung San Suu Kyi's Nobel Prize, given her inaction. "The world cannot sit by and watch genocide taking place. The world cannot just say 'look, it is not our problem'. It is our problem," he told thousands at a rally in Kuala Lumpur in support of the Rohingya.
His comments followed a call from Malaysia's youth and sports minister, Khairy Jamaluddin, for Asean to review Myanmar's membership over the "unacceptable" violence.
Some question the timing of the comments, given the unpopular Mr Razak is gearing up for re-election.
"What we want is both talk and action to really help the Rohingya, not just ministers posturing to gain domestic political points," said Phil Robertson of Human Rights Watch.
In Bangladesh, which borders Rakhine state, Amnesty International says hundreds of fleeing Rohingya have been detained and forcibly returned to an uncertain fate since October - a practice it says should end. Bangladesh does not recognise the Rohingya as refugees.
Anger is building in Myanmar's Muslim-majority neighbours . Leading regional newspapers have condemned Asean's inaction, with Thailand's The Nation describing it as an "accessory to murder and mayhem".
A meeting of Asean foreign ministers to discuss the crisis was held on 19 December in Myanmar's capital, Yangon, but was dismissed as "largely an act of political theatre" by the Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights grouping.
Indonesia's ambassador to London, Rizal Sukma, told the CRITICIA in December that a comprehensive approach was needed.
He said an investigation with regional participation should be launched and that his country stood ready to participate if any such commission was to be formed.
What is the UN doing?
A UN spokeswoman in 2009 described the Rohingya as "probably the most friendless people in the world".
The UN human rights office recently said for a second time this year that abuses suffered by them could amount to crimes against humanity. It also said that it regretted that the government had failed to act on a number of recommendations it had provided, including lifting restrictions of movement on the Rohingya.
It has called for an investigation into the recent allegations of rights abuses, as well as for humanitarian access to be given.
Image copyrightAFP
Image caption
Images of Rohingya migrants stranded at sea last year briefly captured the world's attention
The UN's refugee agency says Myanmar's neighbours should keep their borders open if desperate Rohingya once again take to rickety boats to seek refuge in their countries, as happened in early 2015.
Spokeswoman Vivian Tan said now would be a good time to set up a regional task force that had been proposed to co-ordinate a response to any such movements.
Read more: Kofi Annan downplays Myanmar genocide claims
Separately, former UN-Secretary General Kofi Annan is heading another advisory commission currently looking into the general situation in Rakhine state after being asked in August by Ms Suu Kyi.
But some have questioned how useful this commission will be, given the exhaustive number of reports that already exist. Its report, in any case, will not be released until later this year.
Suu Kyi asks for 'space' to address Myanmar's Rohingya plight -22 may 2016
Myanmar's de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi has asked for "enough 'space" to address the Rohingya issue. She was speaking after meeting US Secretary of State John Kerry, who called on her to promote human rights.
Some 125,000 Rohingya Muslims were displaced after fighting with Myanmar's majority Buddhists erupted in 2012 in Rakhine state and spread further.Historic elections swept Ms Suu Kyi and her party into office in November, ending half a century of military rule.
Last week, The US lifted a host of financial and trade embargoes on Myanmar, but has kept the backbone of its sanctions.
Will anyone help the Rohinya people?
What rights for the Myanmar's Rohinya Muslims?
Mr Kerry said he had discussed the "very sensitive" and "divisive" Rohingya issue with Ms Suu Kyi.
"I know it arouses strong passions here," Mr Kerry said, addressing a joint news conference in the capital, Nay Pyi Taw.
"What is critical is to focus on is solving the problem... which is improving the situation on the ground, to promote development, promote respect for human rights and benefit all of those that live in Rakhine and throughout Myanmar."
'Emotive terms'
There is widespread hostility towards Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, including among some within Ms Suu Kyi's own party.
Rohingya Muslims are seen as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, and are referred to by many as Bengalis.
Because of this, Myanmar denies many Rohingya citizenship and basic rights.
Last week, Ms Suu Kyi suggested to the new US ambassador in Myanmar, Scot Marciel, that he refrain from using the term '"Rohingya".
"Emotive terms" made it very difficult to find a peaceful and sensible solution to the problem, she said at the news conference with Mr Kerry.
"All that we are asking is that people should be aware of the difficulties we are facing and to give us enough space to solve all our problems," she said.
Will anyone help the Rohingya people? 10 june 2015
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Rohingya migrants rescued from a fishing boat collect rain water at a temporary shelter
For decades, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have lived in Rakhine State, near Myanmar's border with Bangladesh.
Long denied citizenship and freedom of movement by the government of Myanmar (also known as Burma), shocking images have emerged in recent weeks showing hundreds of Rohingya migrants drifting at sea in fishing boats, as part of a failed attempt to leave for Malaysia.
Thailand, which was being used as a smuggling route by people traffickers, has cracked down on the trade and a senior Thai officer has been charged in connection with trafficking. And the Dalai Lama has joined other international voices calling on Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to speak out about their plight.
Tun Khin: Burma needs democracy
Tun Khin is president of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK.
"My grandfather was a parliamentary secretary but I'm not a citizen. Your grandfather's grandfathers were there in your native land, but your citizenship is not recognised, so this is very frustrating, shocking and a tragic moment for all Rohingya, including me.
Image copyrightEPA
Thousands of Rohingyas are believed to be stranded at sea
"They were a recognised ethnic group [during] Burma's democratic period of time, 1948 to 1962. At that time, the Rohingya language was broadcast from Burma radio broadcasting programme. Unfortunately today Burma's government denies that the Rohingya exist."
Democracy in Burma ended with a military coup in 1962, and with it any official recognition of the Rohingya. In 1982, a new citizenship law was passed, consigning most Rohingya to a stateless existence. The government argues they are from neighbouring Bangladesh not Myanmar, and that the Rohingya identity has been invented by migrants to gain citizenship.
"This is just baseless accusation. It's hatred against Rohingya.
"Because of that law, today more than 1.3 million Rohingya are not citizens of Burma and are denied the right to have food, denied the right to have medical treatment, denied the right to have movement, denied the right to have children, denied the right to have education and [it leads to] state-sponsored violence against them, and burning down their houses and pushing them to the camps.
"We are struggling for human rights and democracy for Burma. When democracy comes one day, our situation will get better."
Aung Zaw: Aung San Suu Kyi has let Rohingya down
Aung Zaw is the editor of Irrawaddy Magazine, an independent publication banned in Myanmar until 2012.
"Personally I admire [Aung San Suu Kyi], professionally I question her, trying to make a very precise analysis about pros and cons of her leadership and her struggle for democracy. I think she disappointed a lot of people because of her silence, because of her status as South East Asia's Nelson Mandela. But she completely failed on [the Rohingya] issue.
Image copyrightREUTERS
Image caption
Aung San Suu Kyi has come in for criticism
"Aung San Suu Kyi is no longer a human rights activist, as we saw her 20 years ago when she was under house arrest. Aung San Suu Kyi has changed. This is different Aung San Suu Kyi, a new Aung San Suu Kyi. She will not do anything to help the Rohingya.
"Whenever I engage with even close friends and my colleagues about the issue of Rohingya, the conversation will become very volatile. It could change the friendship because people will take it very sensitively. It's very sad.
"In the newsroom that could be a very hot topic among the editors and reporters who are very shy to speak of these sensitive issues or who reject completely that this sort of story should be reported.
"I think it's a very deep prejudice against Muslim minority populations in our country. This has not just happened now, it has been a long-held view."
Aung San Suu Kyi: Where are you?
Mahfuz Anam: Not Bangladesh's responsibility
Mahfuz Anam is editor of the Daily Star, the most popular English language daily amongst Bangladesh's 150 million people.
"Bangladesh is the most populous country in the world, we are among the smallest land mass with the highest density of people in the world. It's not like a case of, 'OK, some people have come so let's settle them'.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image caption
Migrants at a Rohingya camp in Teknaf, Bangladesh
"They [the Rohingya migrants] trickle out into the rest of the society looking for some ways to make their living. So there is a constant phenomenon of them overflowing into other areas and then basically creating competition for jobs, which creates local unrest.
"They are housed, they have rudimentary education, living facilities and they are here safe, they are not being persecuted. You have to give us the credit of treating them in a humane way with the hope that the repatriation process comes through.
"Frankly, we can only be their host for the time being so that they can go back, but giving them citizenship, why?
"These people have been living in Myanmar for eight, nine centuries, and that's their home. They happen to be Muslims, but there are Muslims all over the world. These people have their rights, they have their own cultural groups, they have their history. People are rooted to their lands and their homestead.
"As a host country I think we are already helping them but, yes, more international help, more international focus I think is welcome."
Gwen Robinson: International community must play a 'delicate game'
Gwen Robinson is chief editor of the Nikkei Asian Review and has travelled to Rakhine State many times.
"The most striking thing, when you visit Rakhine State almost anywhere, but particularly in Sittwe, the capital, is this deep and abiding hatred, or just complete rejection of the Rohingya as people who belong there in any way.
"A lot of people forget that prior to the eruption of violence in 2012, the Rohingya ran the markets, they brought produce to town, they worked very hard. So, it wasn't exactly loving co-existence, but it was a reasonably peaceful co-existence.
Image copyrightAFP
Image caption
US President Obama was "optimistic" about reform after meeting Myanmar President Thein Sein in 2014
"When Obama came and gave a speech to students at Yangon University, that was like the second coming. People were so proud. That is a very powerful tool or lever.
"It's very clear that there's a great sense of face in Myanmar; they're very sensitive to going back to the pariah status they had before.
"We've had the Myanmar navy, for example, rescuing a couple of boats recently. They agreed broadly to try and address the root causes of the problem, which are actually a lot harder to follow up on, but Myanmar has shown some sign of willingness to co-operate a little. Which is a big advance on last year.
"I think the US engagement with Myanmar was partly driven by concerns that Myanmar was more or less seen as a vassal state of China's, in China's sphere of influence. Its location is extremely strategic, right in the heart of a very volatile area. It's got a lot of resources, it's got gas.
"There's a big incentive to keep Myanmar on side, so not just beat it senseless about the Rohingya, and slap sanctions on to maybe alienate Myanmar. [The US] has to play a very delicate game.
"There is no clear, easy solution. It will require that elusive thing, which doesn't exist at the moment, which is political will on the part of any leadership, now or in the future, to go down that route, and that would require a lot of courage that is highly unlikely for anyone who's going to adopt a policy of extending citizenship to these widely reviled people."
Myanmar army kills 25 in Rohingya villages. Oct 2016
The Myanmar army launched attacks on Rohingya Muslim villages over the weekend (Photo from October)
The Myanmar army says it shot dead at least 25 people in Rohingya Muslim villages in restive Rakhine state on Sunday.
It said the people killed had been armed with machetes and wooden clubs.
On Saturday, the army launched attacks with helicopter gunships on Rohingya villages in Rakhine. Eight people, including two soldiers, died.
The attacks were "clearance operations" targeting armed militants, the army said.
Images and videos on social media showed women and children were among those killed.
Hundreds of villagers were forced to flee their homes over the weekend.
Image copyrightEPA
Image caption
The Rohingya population has been displaced ever since ethnic tension escalated in Myanmar
There's no independent media access to northern Rakhine State, so the official accounts must be read critically.
If you're to believe the army version you have to accept that Rohingya men armed only with "wooden clubs and machetes" would launch attacks on soldiers equipped with guns.
You also have to accept the idea that the Rohingya are setting fire to their own homes, making themselves intentionally homeless.
State media report that the Rohingya torched 130 homes on Sunday in order to "cause misunderstanding and tension" and get international aid.
There's a very different narrative on Rohingya social media. Again it should be viewed critically, in the past the Rohingya have exaggerated alleged atrocities.
The Rohingya images and videos from this last weekend show dead women and children and people fleeing burning homes. Helicopter gunships fly overhead. Some of it is certainly genuine.
The security forces in Rakhine are controlled by the army not the country's de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
But the former Nobel peace prize winner is conspicuously silent. So far she's refused diplomats' demands for a credible independent investigation into events.
Rakhine has been under military lockdown since last month, after nine policemen were killed by insurgents in a series of attacks on border posts.
The state is home to more than a million Rohingya Muslims, who are not recognised as Myanmar citizens.
Tens of thousands are living in temporary camps, after being displaced during fighting with majority Buddhists in 2012 which left scores dead.
The Rohingya are disliked by many in Myanmar, who consider them illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, despite many having lived in the country for generations.
Rights groups say the Rohingya population has been subject to severe restrictions on movement and are denied the most basic of human rights.
Myanmar army fires on Rohingya villages in Rakhine region 13 nov 2016
Rakhine before fire
Rakhine after fire .
Image copyrightAFP
Image caption
Burnt houses could be seen in Rakhine when media visited last month (image from 14 October)
The government of Myanmar (Burma) has admitted firing on villages occupied by the Rohingya Muslim minority with helicopter gunships.
State media say two soldiers and six attackers died in clashes after an ambush on troops, which led to air support being called in.
There are reports of villages burning in the northern region of Rakhine.
Photos released by Human Rights Watch seem to show charred villages, with the group reporting 430 burnt buildings.
The satellite photos were taken between 22 October and 10 November, following reports of fighting and civilians fleeing last month.
Rohingya activists say the government is trying systematically to drive the Muslim minority from their villages.
Attacking the Rohingya is a popular move for the military,reports from Myanmar's largest city, Yangon.
They are disliked by many, if not most, Burmese who consider them illegal immigrants from Bangladesh, our correspondent says.
Glimmer of hope for Myanmar's Rohingya?
Rohingya migrant crisis in 90 seconds
The 'abandoned' people in Myanmar's election
Media barred The latest outbreak in fighting was triggered by an attack on three police checkpoints just over a month ago.
Tension has been high in Rakhine between security forces and villagers
Fighting in Rakhine displaced hundreds of people last month Homes were burnt down last month Concern is growing for civilians in the conflict zone
The Burmese government is not allowing independent journalists into Rakhine, so it is impossible to verify claims about the scale of the fighting.
According to the latest official statement on Saturday, troops were ambushed and then clashed several times with armed men, presumably Rohingya Muslims, equipped with guns, knives and spears.
At one point, when faced by about 500 men, the soldiers called in air support and two helicopter gunships fired on the Rohingya village.
Casualty figures vary widely, our correspondent says.
Brad Adams, the Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said the new photos showed "widespread destruction" that was "greater than we first thought".
"Burmese authorities should promptly establish a UN-assisted investigation as a first step toward ensuring justice and security for the victims," he said.
The government - led by Aung San Suu Kyi - talks of "clearance operations" as part of the search for the attackers.
Rohingya villages 'destroyed' in Myanmar, images show. 21 nov 2016
Image copyrightAFP
Image caption
A security operation in Maungdaw, Rakhine state, was launched in early October and continues to this day
More than 1,200 homes have been razed in villages inhabited by Myanmar's Muslim Rohingya minority in the past six weeks, Human Rights Watch says.
The group has released a batch of new satellite images that it says show 820 structures were destroyed between 10-18 November.
The military is conducting security operations in Rakhine but the government denies it is razing homes.
The Rohingya are one of the world's most persecuted minority groups.
The CRITICIA cannot independently verify the extent of destruction in Rohingya villages as the government has blocked international journalists from visiting the area, from where tens of thousands of people have fled.
But a CRITICIA correspondent on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border has spoken with fleeing Rohingya families who described what was happening in northern Rakhine as "hell on earth".
The government of Myanmar, which is also known as Burma, says that the Rohingya are setting fire to their own homes to attract international attention.
Human Rights Watch previously identified 430 destroyed buildings in three villages from satellite images released on 13 November. Presidential spokesman Zaw Htay accused the group of exaggeration in responding to that report.
Image copyrightHUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
Image caption
A satellite image of the village of Wa Peik, Maungdaw district on 10 November
Image copyrightHUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
Image caption
The same area pictured in a satellite image recorded on 18 November
'Hell on earth' -Bengali's Akbar Hossain on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border
I had the opportunity to talk to at least five families who fled from their homes in Myanmar to take shelter in Bangladesh, joining more than 500,000 Rohingya Muslims already living here unofficially.
Those I spoke to said the Burmese military are burning the houses of the Rohingya, they are committing torture and women are being raped.
They described what has been occurring in northern Rakhine state for the past month as "hell on earth".
While the Myanmar military are launching an anti-insurgency operation, the Rohingya who fled told me they are being targeted indiscriminately. They say that they too are in favour of punishing the perpetrators of attacks on border police, but innocent Rohingya are being targeted as part of the current crackdown.
What is happening in Rakhine state?
A massive security operation was launched last month after nine police officers were killed in co-ordinated attacks on border posts in Maungdaw.
Some government officials blamed a militant Rohingya group for the attack. Security forces then sealed off access to Maungdaw district and launched a counter-insurgency operation.
Rohingya activists say more than 100 people have been killed and hundreds arrested amid the crackdown.
Soldiers have also been accused of serious human rights abuses, including torture, rape and executions, which the government has flatly denied.
It says militants have attacked helicopter gunships providing air support to troops.
Bangladesh has beefed up its security presence on the border as hundreds of Rohingya try to flee there.
Who are the Rohingya?
The estimated one million Rohingya are seen by Rakhine's Buddhist majority as illegal migrants from Bangladesh. They are denied citizenship by the government despite many having lived there for generations.
Communal violence in Rakhine state in 2012 left scores dead and displaced more than 100,000 people, with many Rohingya still remaining in decrepit camps.
They face widespread discrimination and mistreatment.
Is the government to blame?
Myanmar held its first openly contested election in 25 years last November, with Nobel Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy winning a landslide victory.
Though she is barred from the presidency due to a constitutional rule, Ms Suu Kyi, who serves as State Counsellor, is seen as de-facto leader
But her government, led as it is by a former human rights icon, has faced international criticism over the situation in Rakhine state.
"Instead of responding with military-era style accusations and denials, the government should simply look at the facts and take action to protect all people in Burma, whatever their religion or ethnicity," Human Rights Watch Asia Director Brad Adams said.
He added: "A government with nothing to hide should have no problem granting access to journalists and human rights investigators.''
Presidential spokesman Zaw Htay says the international media is misreporting what is going on.
How has the international community reacted?
An international delegation was allowed to visit the area earlier this month but achieved only "limited results", UN special rapporteur on Myanmar Yanghee Lee said on Friday.
"The security forces must not be given carte blanche to step up their operations under the smokescreen of having allowed access to an international delegation," she said.
Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims: Glimmer of hope at last? 24 august
Many Rohingya still live in camps after waves of communal violence in 2012
There haven't been many good moments for Myanmar's Rohingya Muslims in the last four years.
This country's dramatic political changes have passed them by. Greater democracy has not brought greater respect for the stateless Rohingya's human rights.
But the formation of an Advisory Commission on Rakhine State represents a rare glimmer of hope.
For the first time, the Burmese government is seeking international expertise to try and solve one of the country's most complex problems.
It's a significant shift. For years, the official Burmese mantra has been that "no foreigner can possibly understand Rakhine's problems".
Now Kofi Annan, the former UN secretary general, has been tasked with taking a fresh look at the issues as head of nine-member commission. His report could just add to the mountain of papers written about Rakhine and the Rohingya, or it just might be a game-changer.
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Many Rohingya have been driven to take dangerous journeys at sea in pursuit of a better life elsewhere
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The 'abandoned' people in Myanmar's election
Aung San Suu Kyi where are you?
So what's Aung San Suu Kyi up to?
Well, first a cynical take. Next week the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is due in the Burmese capital Nay Pyi Taw and in September Ms Suu Kyi will head to the United States for the UN General Assembly and talks with President Obama.
The Nobel laureate was no doubt bracing herself for awkward questions about why she wasn't doing more to help Myanmar's Muslim minority and in particular the 800,000 or so Rohingya. Those questions can now be easily deflected with reference to this new commission.
But there's more at play than that. By setting up the commission, Ms Suu Kyi is signalling that she is open to new ideas, and doesn't have all the answers.
Kofi Annan may be 78 but, as you'd expect from a former UN secretary general, he's his own man.
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The appointment of Kofi Annan as head of the commission may help deflect criticism
The final report, due to be delivered by the end of August 2017, is likely to contain suggestions that many Burmese consider unpalatable.
Almost certainly it will insist that the Rohingya's basic human rights are respected, perhaps recommending that Myanmar offer them a better route to citizenship.
In Myanmar's current political climate it's hard for Ms Suu Kyi to bring those ideas to the table. She'd be attacked not just by hardline Buddhists but many within her own party.
So Kofi Annan and his report could be the "Trojan Horse" that brings this sort of proposal into the national debate.
There are of course plenty of caveats.
Problems as deeply entrenched as those between the Buddhist and Muslim communities in Rakhine State will not be solved overnight. The animosity between them has built up over decades with many in the Buddhist majority seeing the Rohingya as illegal immigrants from across the border in Bangladesh.
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Some have criticised Aung San Suu Kyi - a human rights champion - for her silence on the plight of the Rohingya
After the violence of 2012, more than 100,000 Rohingya were forced from their homes into camps. In the years that have followed there's been no real effort to help them return.
Rakhine has become increasingly segregated, with some comparing it to South Africa's apartheid. Things have become quieter but there's been little reconciliation.
Whatever the commission ends up concluding, any move to give the Rohingya greater rights will be hugely controversial not just in Rakhine State but across the country.
Vocal parts of the Buddhist community are openly hostile towards international aid agencies and the UN. They're unlikely to welcome Kofi Annan's team, no doubt anticipating the sort of recommendations he might make.Implementing any "solution" will be even harder.
But the formation of this advisory commission is something new. However small, it's the first bit of positive news that the Rohingya have had for a long time.
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