At Least 32 Rohingya Women And Girls Raped By Myanmar Military And Border Guard Police In Buthidaung

RB News

May 15, 2017

Buthidaung, Arakan – In the last week at least 32 Rohingya women and girls were raped by Myanmar military and Border Guard Police. This happened in Kyaung Taung village tract, northern side of Taung Bazar village in Buthidaung Township of Arakan State. 

On May 6th, 2017 a group consisting of 300 military and border guard police suddenly entered into Kyaung Taung village tract and besieged the village. Then they checked house by house. While doing so, men were detained and beaten. The women and girls were taken out of the houses and were forced to line up. Then, the soldiers and police molested them and robbed whatever they found on the women’s bodies such as gold and money. The troops also destroyed many cupboards and boxes inside the houses. They took away any gold and money, whatever valuables that they found. They destroyed food, household and kitchen wears, according to the villagers. 

Again on May 8th, 2017 a group of border guard police from Taung Bazar regional camp and Kyaung Taung village and another group of soldiers from Light Infantry Unit 552 and 232 collaborated together and entered into Middle hamlet and Sar Kine hamlet of Kyaung Taung village tract. 

Once the troops entered and as the villagers already experienced the attacks on May 6th, all men and two thirds of the women escaped from the village immediately. 

The troops robbed from every house and destroyed whatever they couldn't carry with them. According to the villagers, they raped many women and girls till May 11th, 2017, 

The villagers said border guard police officers Ko Ko Oo and Maung Maung Htay specifically, have raped many women and girls. 

According to the villagers, at least 32 women and girls were raped by soldiers and border guard police. Among them two women were gang raped. All of them reported about the sexual violence to the high ranking officers of the military and border guard police based nearby their village. 

They have said on May 9th, 7 women and girls from Middle hamlet, on May 10th, 16 women and girls from Sar Kine hamlet and on May 11th, 9 women and girls from Middle hamlet were raped. 

(Rohingya Blogger (RB) has received the name, age, father's name of the rape victims and some video testimonies of the women but we are not posting to protect the dignities of the rape victims.) 

Report contributed by MYARF.