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Rohingyas massacred, buried in at least 5 mass graves in Myanmar village: Report

A report has found the existence of at least five previously unreported mass graves in a village in Myanmar's Rakhine state

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Rohingya refugees line up for daily essentials distribution at a refugee camp, near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh
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A report has found the existence of at least five previously unreported mass graves in a village in Myanmar's Rakhine state, where scores of Rohingya were allegedly massacred and buried by the military. 

The Myanmar military had launched a massive crackdown against alleged militant groups in Rakhine last year. Over half a million Rohingyas fled the country to neighbouring Bangladesh to seek refuge at the height of the violence. 

 

In an investigation, the Associated Press has confirmed the existence of at least 5 mass graves. The news agency unearthed the existence of these graves based on dozens of interviews with members of the Rohingya community living in the refugee camps on Bangladesh-Myanmar border, along with proof of time-stamped cellphone videos.

The Myanmar government has regularly denied claims of massacres and has acknowledged only one mass grave containing 10 "terrorists" in the village of Inn Din.

Rohingyas are a long-persecuted ethnic Muslim minority in the predominantly Buddhist country.

Noor Kadir, a resident of Gu Dar Pyin village in Myanmar recounted that he and 14 others had been choosing players for the soccer-like game of chinlone when the gunfire began. 

When the firing by Myanmar military stopped, only Kadir and two teammates were left alive. He later found  six of his friends among the bodies in two graves.

According to the report, Myanmar has cut off access to Gu Dar Pyin, so it's unclear just how many people died. Satellite images from DigitalGlobe, along with video of homes reduced to ash, reveal a village that has been wiped out, AP reported. 

Community leaders in the refugee camps have compiled a list of 75 dead so far. However, based on testimony from relatives and the bodies they've seen in the graves and strewn about the area, villagers estimate that as many as 400 people died. 

 

Many of those who survived the massacre carry scars from bullet wounds, including a 3-year-old boy and his grandmother.

Villagers interviewed by the AP saw three large mass graves at Gu Dar Pyin's northern entrance, near the main road, where witnesses say soldiers herded and killed most of the Rohingya.

Some witnesses confirmed two other big graves near a hillside cemetery, close to a school where more than 100 soldiers were stationed after the massacre.

Villagers also saw other, smaller graves scattered around the village, the report said. 

In the videos of the graves obtained by the AP, dating to 13 days after the killing began, blue-green puddles of acid sludge surround corpses without heads and torsos that jut into the air. Skeletal hands seem to claw at the ground. 

US says 'deeply troubled' by reports of Myanmar mass graves

The US State Department said on Thursday it was "deeply, deeply troubled" by new reports of mass graves in Myanmar's Rakhine State, where the military has been accused of atrocities against minority Rohingya Muslims.

 

The Associated Press reported earlier it had confirmed the existence of more than five previously unreported mass graves in the Myanmar village of Gu Dar Pyin, through interviews of survivors in refugee camps in Bangladesh and through time-stamped cellphone videos.

"We are deeply, deeply troubled by those reports of mass graves," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told a regular news briefing. "We are watching this very carefully. We remain focused on helping to ensure the accountability for those responsible for human rights abuses and violations."

Nauert said the reports highlighted the need for authorities in Myanmar to cooperate with an independent, credible investigation into allegations of atrocities in northern Rakhine state.

UN says report 'extremely troubling'

A United Nations spokesman said the report was “extremely troubling,” and he urged Myanmar to allow access to the state where the killings occurred. 

Stephane Dujarric said the UN was “very concerned” about the possible mass graves. He says the report “underscores the need for the UN to have access” to Myanmar’s Rakhine state, which hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled since August. 

(With agencies)

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