Bodies of Four Slain Rohingya Left In River As Villagers Fear They’ll Be Shot If They Try to Recover Them

RB News 

November 9, 2016

Maungdaw, Arakan – Four corpses are currently floating in the Naf River near Zee Pin Chaung Village in Taung Pyo Let Wal Sub-Township located in northern Maungdaw Township. No one is willing to retrieve the bodies because they are afraid of being shot by the Myanmar Border Guard Police. 

On November 8th, 2016 at around 8 PM five Rohingya residents who were attempting to flee to Bangladesh through Zee Pin Chaung village were shot dead by the Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP). They were attempting to flee persecution by the BGP and Military. After the incident Rohingya villagers only saw four of the five bodies floating in the river. They were unable to recover the bodies because they were afraid they would also be shot if they tried. 

“On Tuesday at 8 PM three men and two women were illegally crossing the border. They were shot dead by the Border Guard Police led by Captain Myo Zaw Win. Four corpses are floating on the river but no one dares to pull them out. A corpse was found nearby the shore. Police picked it up and sent it to Maungdaw Hospital. The body was identified as Eliyas, son of Mohammed Hasan. He is a youth,” a Rohingya villager told RB News. 

At the asme time another family who were attempting to flee to Bangladesh were caught by the BGP.

“Kabir Ahmed and his family were also caught in Zee Pin Chaung, including his wife and three children. The older children are above five years old. One Boy and one girl. Those two children were handed to the hamlet-in-charge, Abdul Salam, from Zee Pin Chaung middle hamlet, where they were arrested. The other child detained with the parents is an infant,” the villager added. 

Since October 9th witnesses have reported many crimes committed by the military and BGP, including arson, shooting and killing civilians, torture, arbitrary arrests and gang rape of Rohingya women. Many Rohingya in northern Maungdaw are fleeing to save their lives. While most have fled to the mountains some are trying to cross the border into Bangladesh which Myanmar and Bangladesh consider to be illegal, even if International Law would consider them refugees.