Thousands of villagers have fled their homes in Myanmar’s Rakhine state after a local administrator warned dozens of village leaders that the army planned “clearance operations” against insurgents, a lawmaker and a humanitarian group said.
FILE PHOTO: People who fled from Rathedaung Township arrive in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State, Myanmar June 27, 2020. Picture taken June 27, 2020. REUTERS/Stringer
The letter does not specify where the order came from, but Min Than, Rakhine state’s border affairs and security minister, told Reuters it was an instruction from his border affairs ministry, one of three Myanmar government ministries controlled by the army. The operations could last up to a week, Min Than said by phone, adding that “those who remain will be those who are loyal to the AA.”
Dozens have died and tens of thousands been displaced in the conflict. Save the Children says 18 children were killed and 71 injured or maimed between January and March, citing local monitoring groups. The army says it does not target civilians. On Saturday, the British, Australian, U.S. and Canadian embassies in Myanmar said they were “deeply concerned by the reports of the Myanmar Military’s clearance operations along the Kyauktan village tract” and “the worsening humanitarian and security situation across the region.”
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Myanmar destroys seized drugs worth more than $800 millionAuthorities in Myanmar say they have destroyed more than $839 million worth of seized illegal drugs to mark the annual International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking
Read more »
Trump cancels weekend trip to NJ, says he wants to monitor protestsPresident Donald Trump said in a tweet Friday afternoon that he was staying in Washington to monitor protests in the nation’s capital.
Read more »
Parts Of Myanmar Unaware Of COVID-19 Due To Internet Ban, Rights Advocates SayAn Internet shutdown that began in parts of Myanmar a year ago is keeping some villages unaware of the global pandemic, says Human Rights Watch. The restrictions are said to affect some 1 million people.
Read more »
Commerzbank board to decide on cost-cutting plan next week, report saysCommerzbank's board will likely approve more branch closures and job cuts at an extraordinary meeting next week, a German newspaper reported on Saturday.
Read more »
France's Macron says he plans to travel to Russia soonFrench President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday said he would soon travel to Russia for more talks with his counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Read more »
Summer’s Very Best Drive-In Events: Concerts, Movies, Comedy And So Much MoreDrive-ins are our summer salvation in these times of social distancing.
Read more »