A human rights group has released satellite images of what appears to be the destruction of a coastal Burmese district riven by ethnic unrest.

Human Rights Watch says the images show that more than 800 buildings and houseboats were burned to the ground in Kyaukpyu, in western Rakhine state.

It says the victims were mostly Muslim Rohingyas, targeted by non-Muslims.

Officials say 64 people have died in recent unrest, but HRW says it fears the figure could be much higher.
The US-based group compared satellite images of the Kyaukpyu district taken on 9 and 25 October.

On 9 October, hundreds of closely packed houses can be clearly seen in rows along the peninsula - which sits at the mouth of an inlet - as well as scores of houseboats along the northern shoreline.

But in the image taken on Thursday, few boats remain and the 35-acre district is almost entirely empty of houses. HRW says there are "no indications of fire damage to the immediate west and east of this zone of destruction".

The group gave no indication of casualties from the unrest, but said many of the inhabitants are thought to have fled by boat out to sea.

Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said the violence showed that Burma's government "urgently needs to provide security for the Rohingya" in Rakhine state, which is also known as Arakan.


"Unless the authorities also start addressing the root causes of the violence, it is only likely to get worse," said Mr Robertson.

The UN earlier warned the country's reform programme could be put at risk by continued communal violence between local groups of vigilante Buddhists and Muslim Rohingyas in the western state.

At least 64 people were killed this week, officials said, in the first serious outburst of violence since June, when a state of emergency was declared in Rakhine.

At that time deadly clashes claimed dozens of lives and thousands of people were forced to flee their homes - many are yet to return.

HRW said it feared the death toll from the latest unrest could be much higher, based on witness reports and "the government's well-documented history of underestimating figures that might lead to criticism of the state".
Rohingya refugees
Non-Muslims are reporting that this time they too were fired on by government forces during the unrest, and suffered many casualties.

The government has declared a curfew in the affected areas, but its response since the violence first broke out in June is being widely criticised as inadequate, says the BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok.

On Friday six towns were hit by clashes and a night-time curfew is in place in several locations including Min Bya and Mrauk Oo where the latest spate of violence began.

It is unclear what prompted the latest clashes. The Rakhine Buddhists and Muslims, believed to be mainly Rohingya, blame each other for the violence.

In Bangladesh, border officials said they believed several boats with Rohingyas on board were waiting to try to cross the river from Burma. One official said 52 Rohingyas had been sent back in the last few days.

Muslims throughout Burma have abandoned plans to celebrate the festival of Eid al-Adha because of the violence.

There is long-standing tension between the ethnic Rakhine people, who make up the majority of the state's population, and Muslims, many of whom are Rohingya and are stateless.

The Burmese authorities regard the Rohingya as illegal immigrants and correspondents say there is widespread public hostility to them.

In August, Burma set up a commission to investigate the violence between Buddhists and Muslims in the west of the country. Authorities earlier rejected a UN-led inquiry.

Arakan Human Rights Review (AHRR)


Sunday, 28th, October, 2012

"Editor`s View: Don`t let others know about your weakness. A nation never achieves its goal without unity . Disunity brings peril in the community. Sacrifice is the basic foundation of unity"
News Headlines with Links;
UK Foreign Secretary comments on continued violence in Rakhine state, Burma
http://ukinhongkong.fco.gov.uk/en/ne...s&id=827528982


Muslim leader calls for Burmese government to end Rakhine violence

http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/int...olence/1036760
Myanmar Refugees: Babies are Dying Aboard Boats that Can't Come Ashore
Tim King Salem-News.com
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/o...s-dying-tk.php
Please sign on this petition
http://www.change.org/petitions/us-s...-keeping-force
Muslims flee Rakhine state as at least twenty people killed: The Independent, Dhaka
http://www.theindependentbd.com/inde...asia&Itemid=76
Official Arakan Death Toll Rises to 112, Myanmar Parliament approved a proposal to deploy more security forces to the region.
http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/17401
RWU-makes-an-appeal-for-the-end-to-violence-in-Arakan
http://www.narinjara.com/main/index....nce-in-arakan/

Quintana faults Burma for lack of ‘proper decisions’

http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-b...decisions.html
UN Secretary-General calls for end to lawlessness in Myanmar’s Rakhine state following latest violence

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.as...r=myanmar&Cr1=
US urges immediate action to halt Myanmar violence
http://www.boston.com/news/nation/wa...hAJ/story.html

http://www.narinjara.com/main/index....across-arakan/
Rohingya groups condemn sectarian clashes and have called for a UN peacekeeping force to quell the communal violence in Rakhine State
http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-b...n-clashes.html
Renewed-violence-flares-in-Rakhine-state.
http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-b...ine-state.html
Burmese Muslims Cancel Eid Festivities
http://www.irrawaddy.org/archives/17221
More than 40 boats of Rohingyas float in the river
http://www.thestateless.com/2012/10/...yas-float.html



Renewed communal violence in Rakhine State has now claimed more than 600 homes burned in western Burma
http://www.mizzima.com/news/inside-b...e-doubles.html

Myanmar: Witnesses Say 100 Rohingyas were Killed & Ten Girls Raped by Police in Latest Attacks

http://www.salem-news.com/articles/o...s-attacked.php

Three-dead-in-fresh-myanmar-violence
http://www.theindependentbd.com/inde...ion&Itemid=223
Demonstration held against OIC in USA

(Why not Rohingyas living in USA Call UN to deploy army in Arakan by demonstrating in front of UN HQ)
http://www.narinjara.com/main/index....st-oic-in-usa/
Myanmar allowed only non-useful animals for Qurbani, but Eid Prayer not allowed so far;
http://www.dainikpurbokone.net/index...34-23&Itemid=8

Thousands of Rohingyas living for years in Chittagong Hill Tracts have to leave in 30 days :Ultimatum given by JSS ( Hill Tracts indigenous peoples Samity)
http://www.dainikpurbokone.net/index...3-32-28&Itemid

http://salem-news.com/articles/octob...em-News.com%29

Oct-28-2012 10:46
Another Muslim Village, Kinipran, Burns Under Buddhist Flame

Nurul Islam for Salem-News.com
Incident in Pauk Taw township work of Rakhines in collaboration of Nasaka forces. Is it not enough for UN to deploy its army in Arakan?

Scene from the last 48 hours in Sittwe, Burma

(DHAKA, Bangladesh) - We have learned from reliable sources over the telephone that today the Rakhines from Pauk Taw township, torched a big Muslim Rohingya village of about 1200 homes with the collaboration of Nasaka (Burma's border security force) forces at 12.00 noon today. The name of the village is "Kinipran", in Pauk Taw.
The village is still burning and any report of casualties remains unknown at the time of this report. People on the scene are trying to collect casualties report .
Only 17 floating boats landed at Sittwe yesterday

Contrary to reports of large numbers of boat people being allowed to land at Sittwe, we have learned that only 17 floating boats of more than 50 that are loaded with Rohingyas landed at Sittwe and the rest are still floating on the Bay of Bengal.
Nobody could guess what their next destination would be, but the displaced Rohingyas in the floating boats are facing a food and medicine crisis. Most of them are starving. Pressure on the Myanmar govt. to rescue and allow the boats landing at Sittwe is extremely crucial.

According to Myanmar state news, 100 guns were traced from Kyaukpro and Minbya where communal strife erupted last Sunday. The guns reportedly belong to Buddhist Rakhines.

There are wide ranging accusations that the Rakhine`s RNDP (Rakhine Nationalities Development Party) and ALP (Arakan Liberation Party), with the collaboration of Rakhine State attorney general U Hla Maung Tin hired Rakhine terrorists with guns from near by country to attack Muslim Rohingyas in Arakan.

In fact, the Rakhines have a hidden policy to help achieve their real goal, an independent Arakan without Muslim Rohingyas.
So, they are desperate to evict Muslims from Arakan because they thought Rohingyas will be a barrier on way to "Independent Arakan" . But President U Thein Sein does not have wisdom to realize the hidden policy of Buddists in Arakan.
Deploying of UN army in Arakan is the only way left to normalize Arakan`s Situation

Sectarian strife is occurring in Arakan and other places here, one by one, and spreading throughout all of Arakan.
The Thein Sein govt said that it has taken measures to halt the situation in Arakan. But in practice, the current govt is indirectly encouraging Rakhines. In the future, a dangerous peril awaits in Arakan.
U Thein Sein head of the Myanmar government can control the tense situation in Rakhine state sincerely and impartially. But he clearly exposed his intention toward Rohingyas to Chief of UNHCR few months ago. This was to keep them in UN camps or to send them to 3rd country. Now only way left to make calm and stabilize the Arakan situation is deploying UN forces in Arakan.
Nurul Islam is a Human Rights Activist in Bangladesh

Breaking News( 29.10.2012) Two Mosques in Kokarat , Karen state, Thananzari District, Myanmar were destroyed by bombing last night by Buddhists


Telephonic Confirmation

Last night at 11 p.m some Buddhists suddenly came in front of a Mosque in Kokarat, Karen state, Thananzari district, Myanmar, border with Thailand and then threw bombs to Mosque and then threw more bombs to another Mosque in Kokarat. The bombs destroyed the both Mosques which are most older and historic Mosques in Kokarat. The wide range accusations on Rakhines living in Kokarat for this bombing to Mosques. The religious hatred spreads in whole Burma. In fact, the Rakhines are being tried to spread Islam phobia through out the country and the RNDP Leaders are being taken measures to implicate Burmese/ Barmans ( Non Rakhines ) in Muslim attack project. The Rakhines merchants are donating fund to RNDP to spend in this purpose.
So far no arrest has been done for Mosques bombing in Kokarat. In Bangladesh, the government is taking action against those who are involved in Monasteries destroying and Buddhists house torching and allocated a sizeable fund to repair the Monasteries and pagodas. But in Burma, Thein Sein government is neither taking action against those who are responsible for bombing Mosques and torching Muslim houses nor allocated fund to repair Mosques and rehabilitation.
Casualties of burning village, Kinipran,Pauk Taw
The Rakhine villains torched the village kinipran, Pauk Taw, Arakan yesterday and just come to know that more than 300 houses were burned down and some Muslims were killed. But the report of exact dead bodies is unconfirmed till writing this report. Torching Villages and killing Muslims in Arakan becomes a routine work of Buddhist Rakhines. The grave concern over the unrest is collaboration of security forces in such notorious activities of Rakhines villains. But now " Islam Phobia" is being spread in the whole country for which Rakhines are responsible. Religious and racial discrimination in Burma must be halt for ever.
Nurul Islam,
A Human Rights Activist

But Toramana, levenay zalmay and others call it a joke because it is being done against Muslims.

unjustice done to every human is bad , but you intention behind telling us

about their misery is to distract from the unjustice done by THE SO CALLED MUSLIM STATE OF PAKISTAN

on other muslims !!!

Thanks for the article... I really like this information...