A/HRC/39/CRP.2
911. In a similar incident, a woman from Ku Lar Bil in Thu U Law village tract, Maungdaw
Township, described fleeing with her husband and their nine-year old daughter from their
burning house. Her husband was holding their daughter’s hand but was shot in his leg by a
bullet. Their daughter stopped to help him and soldiers dragged them both into their burning
house. They were both burned alive. “I wish it had been me holding my daughter's hand,
rather than my husband.”2033
912. Landmines, planted by the Tatmadaw in and around Rohingya villages as part of the
“clearance operations” also caused death and injury. 2034 On or around 26 August 2017, a
group of Tatmadaw soldiers approached Sin Oe Pyin (Ywar Gyi) hamlet, in Maung Gyi
Taung village tract, Buthidaung Township. They systematically planted mines along the main
road to the village,2035 with one villager describing them as being placed “15 feet apart”. 2036
Once the operations began, the landmines killed and injured many who tried to flee. 2037 As
one villager described, “The mines were put at the entrance of the village, that is the only
way out so when people were running they stepped on them and died”.2038 Another recalled:
Some people were running and were killed by the mines, as they didn’t know that they
were planted there. Others were hit by the mines as they were coming back from the
field. My 18-year old relative died from an explosion coming back from the paddy
field just in front of my house.2039
913. Mines laid on pedestrian routes or roads inside northern Rakhine State detonated as
villagers fled.2040 One 18-year old man, who was severely injured in a mine blast, including
broken legs and serious burns on both legs and hands, described his experience:
When I heard the sound of shooting, I started running towards my village to find my
family. As there were checkpoints on the main road, I chose to run along a smaller
path so I could reach my family quickly. When I was about 15 minutes away from my
village, I was blown up from the ground. It sounded like a huge bomb exploding. Then
I fainted. I took this path to school often, but had never seen or heard of an explosion
on that route before.2041
914. The Government reportedly claimed that only ARSA planted mines in the region. 2042
Although ARSA did use improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in their 25 August attacks,
there is no information to support a claim that ARSA had access to, or used, landmines. 2043
The Tatmadaw claimed to have recovered IEDs used by ARSA, but they have made no such
claim in relation to landmines.2044
915. Medicins Sans Frontiers reported that between 25 August and 3 December 2017, its
clinic in Kutupalong refugee camp treated 224 people with violence-related injuries, and the
number of people presenting with gunshot wounds started to decrease only after
25 September 2017.2045 This confirms the Mission’s conclusion that violent “clearance
operations” continued well beyond the Government’s declared end date of 5 September 2017.
916. The Mission met with a large number of victims who sustained injuries during the
“clearance operations”. It should be noted that, for the most part, it is the “walking wounded”,
2033
2034
2035
2036
2037
2038
2039
2040
2041
2042
2043
2044
2045
EI-058.
CI-006, CI-007, CI-016, YI-029, V-087.
CI-132, CI-133, LI-046, LI-114, LI-117, QI-107, XI-004.
LI-114.
CI-132, CI-133, LI-046, LI-114, LI-117, QI-107, XI-004, YI-001.
LI-046.
LI-114.
BI-004, CI-001, WI-009, V-087.
BI-004.
V-088.
See this chapter, section D.1.c: Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army.
Global New Light of Myanmar, “Information released by the Tatmadaw True News Information Team
on the findings of the Investigation Team in connection with the performances of the security troops
during the terrorist attacks in Maungdaw region, Rakhine State” (14 November 2017).
Médecins Sans Frontiers, Retrospective mortality, nutrition and measles vaccination coverage
survey in Balukhali 2 & Tasnimarkhola camps (Bangladesh, 2017).
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