Many Rohingya Women From Kyar Gaung Taung And Myaw Taung Raped And 25 Men Detained By Myanmar Army

RB News 

November 22, 2016

Maungdaw, Arakan – Several Rohingya women from Kyar Gaung Taung village tract and Myaw Taung village tract reported being raped by the Myanmar Military. At the same time 25 men from the village were arrested on Sunday night, according to local villagers. 

On November 20th, 2016 a group of 200 soldiers entered Kyar Gaung Taung in the morning. They called the villagers out by loud speaker stating they would not arrest anyone, but said they wanted to meet with them. The men, fearing arrest and torture fled the village. The soldiers then were reported to have forced the remaining women into a paddy field nearby. Ten men nearby were also reportedly brought with them at this time. They were kept in this area until 3pm, then allowed the women to return home. 

At 5pm that day the soldiers began raiding the houses under pretext of investigation, according to locals. The soldiers were said to have sexually harassed some women, and have been accused of raping them as well. Reports that elderly men and children were also tortured or abused have emerged as well.

The soldiers were said to have entered into the house of the village administrator in South hamlet of the vilage tract and raped his wife, teenage daughter and two teenage housemaids, according to a local villager.

15 men who had not fled earlier were then said to have been arrested while the soldiers were raiding the village’s houses. At sunset villagers say women were again forced to leave their home and gather in the paddy field. They were kept there until 11pm. Villagers said some of the women gathered there weretaken away and raped by the soldiers.

“As far as I know that at least 50 women were raped by the soldiers. 25 men detained. They are still detained and the soldiers are not leaving yet from the village.” the villager said at 4:30pm local time on Monday, November 21st, 2016.

In the evening on November 20th soldiers looted an ox owned by Amir Hussein who also lived in the South hamlet. The ox was slaughtered and eaten by the soldiers occupying the village. The soldiers were reported to have also stolen five motorcycles and some solar panel plates, as well as other valuables. 

On Monday morning the soldiers were then reported to have burnt the home of the same Amir Hussein in South Hamlet, and some other houses in So Mon Nya hamlet.

At the same time a group of 300 soldiers surrounded Myaw Taung village tract. They then raided the village and were said to have tortured some elderly and disabled men after the rest of the men in the village had fled. They were said to have forced the women in this village tract to also gather in a nearby paddy field, and raped some of them as well. At this time villagers say the military is still present in the village.

Reporting by MYARF.