Last week, Bangladesh Refugees believe that the fire that destroyed more than 3,000 homes in Balukhali Rohingya Refugee Camp No. (11) in Cox's Bazar was started by armed groups.
Refugees and Rohingya activists are demanding that the Bangladesh government investigate the fire and take effective action.
As a result of this fire, sixteen thousand Rohingya have become homeless again.
U Kairo, a school teacher whose house burned down in Balukkhali Rohingya Refugee Camp No. 11, told RFA that it was difficult for 800 children to learn because about twenty places of study were also burnt down.
He also believed that the arson was caused by problems between ARSA members.
"We also consider it a fire. ARSA's second team leader stayed at the site of the fire after the group broke away. It's been about a month. There were about twenty people with him. Their group often came to arrest them. I don't know. Our people stopped us when they were burning, thinking that their group would be the last to burn it. They threatened to shoot me with a pistol and a weapon if I stopped. There is also a video of that.”
The Bangladeshi government, including the district governor of Cox's Bazar, has called the police, The refugees said that an inquiry commission with intelligence officers is being formed and they have not yet received any answers.
An unnamed refugee living in the Balukhali refugee camp has asked the Bangladesh government to take effective action.
"Bangladesh government should handle this matter correctly and effectively. We hope that action will be taken. We are more concerned that if we do not take decisive and effective action, the next act of terrorism will become worse. In a group of five people, they keep watch at every camp. Even in the midst of guarding, armed groups attacked and killed. It was the arson that started.”
Since 2021, due to the insecurity of living and housing, the refugees have been waiting in turn every night for the 34 refugee camps in Cox's Bazar with about 4,000 independent guards. But the armed groups are still attacking in various ways, the refugees said.
Refugees claim that the March 5 fire was caused by ARSA, but RFA has not been able to independently confirm it.
Ko Aung Myain, a young Rohingya who is helping the refugees affected by the fire, said that the Bangladesh government and the international community need to help the refugees to live in peace and shelter.
"There are various accusations. After a thorough investigation by the Commission of Inquiry, we will know who did it. We are waiting for the truth to emerge. It will be necessary for the government and the international community to take action so that they can live in peace and shelter."
U Aung Kyaw Moe, a member of the National Unity Government's advisor on Rohingya issues, said that the Bangladesh government had investigated the previous fires but failed to take effective action.
"There have been many incidents like this in the past. The government of Bangladesh needs to show the Rohingya refugees as well as the international community with more effective and transparent processes. These processes did not exist in the past. Investigated. Then disappeared. People also don't focus on this after a while. There are many such processes. I think this case will be the same. When the Bangladeshi government investigated the shooting of one of their officers in NO-MAN LAND, they filed a lawsuit. That's all there is. We have not seen anything like this so far about the Rohingya.
Now tens of thousands of fire-ravaged Rohingya refugees are living in refugee camps and say they need enough aid to rebuild their homes.
More than 30 local residents were massacred in Ping Laung Township's Kissing Village : Myanmar
The Karenni National Defense Force (KNDF) reported on March 12 that the military council arrested and killed 30 local people, including three monks, who were taking refuge in a monastery in the village of Kissing, Pin Laung Township, Shan State.
On March 11th, at around 4:00 p.m., the Military Council troops launched an air attack near the village of Nam Siem and fired heavy weapons, killing the people who were sheltering in the monastery.
At that monastery, 30 villagers and three monks were forced out of the school, and the military council troops shot and killed them, KNDF, PDF and KA members saw it from a short distance, but were unable to raid due to the military council's forces being too large, the KNDF statement said.
An official from the KNDF Central News and Information Department said the killings could be confirmed as being committed by the military council.
"We can confirm that they went in. We can see with our comrades and scouts. We can confirm that they came in and killed. Most of them were shot. I think most of them will be from the 66th Division."
KNDF PDF and KA members entered the village on the afternoon of March 12 and recorded the massacre of civilians. Out of the 30 missing people, 28 bodies of the dead were found, according to the statement.
KNDF announced that they were able to remove the bodies of the victims, and the relevant police department and forensics will continue to investigate.
The military council has yet to issue a statement regarding this incident, and RFA repeatedly contacted Shan State Military Council spokesperson U Khun Thein Maung by telephone on March 12, but he did not answer the phone.
Currently, the Military Council Army is KNDF, KA, Shan Mountain PDF, PDF remover People involved in the fighting said that the fighting between Moe Brae and Southern Shan State and Kayah State is intense.
Nearly 70 houses were burnt down and more than 6,000 residents fled : Myanmar
Every time I bend, 2023, Pao Township On March 11th, seeing some of the homes that were destroyed by arson caused by the Military Council.
Citizen Journalist
Every time I bend, Residents said that nearly 70 homes were destroyed when the military council troops entered and burned Ohntaw Taung village and Ohntaw North village in Pao Township on the morning of March 11.
On March 11th, due to the military council's clearing of the area, Ohn Tow Village, east of Pao Township, Yakypyin village and Ima Kone village in the north of Pau Township. Aung Chhai Village Palm forest standard poker Shallow village The village of Laebe Impin village, Suleykone village, Kanmyu village, Mon Tow Village He said that six thousand (6,000) local residents of Inya village and Kyung Tow village have fled.
In addition to this, local residents said that Ko Myint Thein from Ohntaw Taung Village and Ko Yan Naing from Ohntaw North Village were also arrested by the Military Council.
A resident said that the locals are having trouble with food because of the burning.
"There have been four storms. As of yesterday morning, about 70 have died. There are 53 in Ohntaw Taungsu Village. There are more than 13 in North Su Village. There is a shortage of food for over two hundred people."
In February, there was a fight between the military council army and the PDF near the villages of Ohntawtaung village and North village, and the local residents said that because the military council army suffered damage, the villages were cleared.
RFA contacted U Soe Pain Myint, who is authorized to speak at the Military Council of Magway, but he did not answer the phone.
According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA), more than nine hundred thousand (915,000) people have fled their homes in the northwestern region of Myanmar, including Magway, due to military conflicts after the military coup.
According to a February 10 release by Data For Myanmar, a research organization that records house burnings, 8,863 houses were burned down in Magway as of January 31, 2023.
Tags:
ASIA EAST UPDATE