A/HRC/39/CRP.2 massacre of up to 99 Hindu women, men, and children as well as additional unlawful killings and abductions of Hindu villagers in August 2017”.2391 ARSA is also alleged to be responsible for the killings of six other Hindus, on the outskirts of Maungdaw town, near Myo Thu Gyi village on 26 August 2017.2392 The Myanmar Government has stated that ARSA was responsible for these incidents.2393 On 27 September 2017, the Myanmar authorities organized a public event in Kha Maung Seik with national and international media representatives, during which it displayed a large number of corpses. It stated the bodies were of the Hindu victims of Ah Nauk Kha Maung Seik that had been excavated from a mass grave.2394 ARSA denies any involvement in these killings. 2395 1060. The Mission interviewed seven Hindus from Au Nauk Kha Maung Seik (Shab Bazar) and nearby villages who witnessed these events or were victims of abuses in September 2017.2396 The Mission has verified that a large number of Hindu victims were killed on 25 August 2017 in Au Nauk Kha Maung Seik. However, the information received was contradictory, including regarding the language spoken by the perpetrators, which, according to the accounts taken, was a key identifying feature since the perpetrators reportedly had their faces covered. The Mission’s information is insufficient to make any determinations on reasonable grounds regarding the identity of the perpetrators. The Mission has also been unable to verify the facts regarding the killing of Hindus in Myo Thu Gyi. Burning of non-Rohingya villages 1061. On 28 August 2017, three days after the commencement of the “clearance operations”, an audio order to burn down non-Rohingya villages was allegedly given by Ata Ullah through a messaging application.2397 The Mission received a copy of the audio file, which contained an instruction for Rohingya to burn down non-Rohingya villages. It was unable to ascertain the authenticity of the recording or its source. 1062. Regardless of the authenticity of the audio message, ASRA burned down the Rakhine village of Ah Htet Pyu Ma village. 2398 A Rohingya interviewee saw the village burning. He described hearing an exchange of fire between ARSA and the police at an outpost near Purma Fume in Ah Htet Pyu Ma village tract in the early morning of 25 August 2017. “I heard the gunfire and I saw the trailers of gunfire passing in each direction. I got out of bed and went outside to see. It was about two miles away and it went on for one and a half hours.” The interviewee said that the Rakhine villagers fled the following day and, after that, ARSA set the village on fire.2399 Approximately 100 Rakhine families had been living there. While 2391 2392 2393 2394 2395 2396 2397 2398 2399 252 V-108. Information Committee, “Breaking News 22: Local and foreign media continue coverage of news in Maungtaw and Sittway” (Facebook post, 1 September 2017), https://www.facebook.com/InfomationCommittee/posts/789155627924212; Information Committee, “Interview with Hindus who fled from their villages” (Facebook post, 1 September 2018); https://www.facebook.com/InfomationCommittee/posts/788602791312829; Presidents Office, “Hindu women and children escape from terrorists,” (3 September 2017), State Counsellors Office, “Interview with bereaved families of Hindus killed by ARSA terrorists” (27 September 2017) http://www.president-office.gov.mm/en/?q=issues/rakhine-state-affairs/id-7656; V-067. See, for example, Information Committee, “Interview with Hindus who fled from their villages” (Facebook post, 1 September 2017), https://www.facebook.com/InfomationCommittee/posts/788602791312829; Information Committee, “The words of bereaved families of Hindus killed by ARSA terrorists” (Facebook post, 27 September 2017), https://www.facebook.com/InfomationCommittee/posts/807089859464122; Multiple Facebook posts, now defunct, of the Commander-in-Chief, on file with the Mission. V-106, Global New Light of Myanmar, “Slaughtered Hindus testament to brutality of ARSA terrorists” (28 September 2017). ARSA Statement, ARSA/PR/13/2017, on 27 September 2017 ; ARSA Statement, ARSA/PR/28/2018, 25 May 2018. LI-023, LI-024, LI-025, LI-026, QI-019, QI-020, QI-021. K-163.01, K-163.02. QI-018, V-067. QI-018.