A press briefing to the International Community concerning the ramp-up of the killing of civilians by Myanmar armed forces in their punitive scorched-earth campaign with four-cuts doctrine in Arakan
June 12, 2020
The Burmese racist invading army has ramped up their campaign of firing and shelling with heavy and light weapons into the Arakanese towns and villages according to the hallmark of colonial invaders filled with full of racial hatred. It can be said that this is one of the brazenly lawless and sabotage acts of Myanmar Army that has been conducting its scorched-earth campaign with four-cuts doctrine in Arakan. Detail documentation of their horrendous atrocities in Arakan will be released later.
The Myanmar armed forces have been killing civilians of Arakan by firing, shelling and bombing from local light infantry battalions, artillery battalions, their tactical command bases, police battalions, Navy ships, military helicopters and fighter jets day and night. They have blatantly stepped up their genocidal attacks targeting civilians and villages during the time of legal proceedings before the International Court of Justice to find out whether Myanmar has breached the genocide convention. This implies Myanmar Army has brazenly committed fresh war crimes.
The racist Burmese armed forces (Tatmadaw) have always provided the justification of their attacks that they were shooting back to the Arakan Army’s assault or fighting occurring whenever they had fired into the villages. Such responses confess itself that there was no fighting but the Myanmar Army was deliberately firing with heavy and light weapons into the villages. As the cunning nature of the Burmese racist invaders, the Burmese armed forces are just implementing their wipe-out policy in the territories of non-Bamar peoples.
Similarly, the Arakan based battalions of Myanmar Army along the roads have been not only shooting and killing civilian travelers but also firing and shelling with heavy and light weapons from the Navy ships into the Arakanese villages along the river banks. The death toll and injuries are rising due to such barbaric attacks.
As a recent example, without any fighting in the area No.539 Light Infantry Battalion of Myanmar Army based in Kyauk-Taw has ruthlessly fired and shot with heavy and light weapons into A-Pauk-Wa village in Kyauk-Taw township at 13:12 pm on 10 June 2020, in which a civilian was injured. In a similar vein, at 15:37 pm on 10 June 2020 the artillery battalion of Myanmar Army based in Lin-Mwe mountain has inhumanely fired over twelve times of shelling towards a funeral service gathering in Late-Sen-Pyin village of Mrauk-U township that is located in 2 km away from that artillery battalion.
An 85 year-old woman was killed and other three women and one man were injured by artillery shelling from a Navy ship of Myanmar Army that hit the Amyint-Gyun village of Sittwe township at 00:20 am on 11 June 2020. After entering into the downtown of Ponnagyun, No. 550 Light Infantry Battalion based in Ponnagyun has carried out firing and killing of innocent civilians, shootings to terrorize civilian-residents, accusing their killed victims as revolutionaries with false charges and fabricated evidence, threatening public with their arms, and the siege of the whole town by taking inhabitants as hostages.
On the other hand, in the use of state-owned media and military-backed newspapers that are publishing false news, fabricated information, biased news, and omitted news the Burmese racist regime and the Burmese Army have been conducting a systemic propaganda to defame and discredit our organization in international. In addition, some Myanmar military mouthpiece and backed media in Myanmar are doing public grievances not to be highlighted on media but to be waned while covering up serious human rights violations and war crimes committed by the Myanmar armed forces.
The Burmese regime and its military have blocked media, restricted media agencies, threatened journalists, banned news and punished journalists not to uncover true information. Media blackout is still imposed that the state-owned media and social media such as Facebook are not only under the control of the Burmese authorities but the internet shutdown also remains for year-long. The truth about inside Arakan has vanished into darkness because the Myanmar Army has in a devious way blocked international and national media agencies not to access genuine facts from Arakan.
The Burmese regime headed by Aung San Suu Kyi and the Burmese Army have continued the spread of disinformation, rally of fabricated information, and unwarranted accusations. They are also attempting everyday to unjustifiably shift the blame on other organizations while covering up war crimes committed by the Myanmar Army. By sending false information to neighboring countries, the Burmese authorities are also trying to denigrate and disparage the Arakanese people and our organization to face serious crises. Therefore, neighboring countries and the international community are requested to believe fabricated information and misrepresentation of facts provided by the Burmese authorities after making sound judgements.
Local residents, IDPs, and refugees who have fled their homes in fear of the atrocities of Myanmar armed forces are facing the shortages of basic goods such as rice, cooking oil, salts and medicines by the four-cuts campaign of Myanmar Army. The situation can become the worst humanitarian crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic and monsoon season. This right catastrophe is only made by the four-cuts operation of Myanmar Army, not related to our struggle for humanity.
The Myanmar Army is injecting fear into the general public of Arakan by conducting the acts of state-terrorism while carrying out extra-judicial killing of civilians of Arakan in various ways. Therefore, the international community and civilized nations are hereby respectfully informed about the punitive scorched-earth campaign with four-cuts doctrine conducted by the Myanmar armed forces that is targeted to wipeout the whole population of Arakan, aimed to pose existential threat to civilization of Arakan and intended to commit genocidal crimes in Arakan.
Info-Desk
Arakan Army
