'Run, if you want to live'

The Rohingya people who are still in Myanamar's Rakhine state are being threatened to leave their homeland if they want to live, according to the refugees who have managed to cross over to Bangladesh. "The situation has been tense since August 25. Then on September 10 [Monday], local Moghs (Buddhists), using loudspeakers, threatened us to leave Rakhine if we wanted to live. Several hours later, the army and the Buddhists set our village on fire,” recounted Azizur Rahman. He managed to escape from Bagbunia village with six members of his family and reached Shahporir Dwip on Monday night. Residents of Khuinnyapara, Horjondia, Shairapara, Majerdeel and Ghunapara brought over similar stories from their localities. Mohammad Ismail, 27, a refugee from Ghunapara village in Buchidang's Pukurbil, said on Friday, the Moghs threatened them to leave before midday. “The army torched our village in the afternoon,” he said. Ismail fled with his wife and two children. They arrived at Shahporir Dwip on Tuesday night. Although it was not possible to independently verify the accounts, many Rohingya refugees spoke of similar arson incidents in their localities. Mosoni Nayapara refugee camps leaders Mohammad Zobair told the Dhaka Tribune that he too had heard about the arson attacks by the army from the refugees. During a Myanmar government-sponsored visit to Maungdaw, journalists saw burnt down Muslim villages and witnessed Rakhine Buddhists setting fire to a Rohingya village, according to recent media reports. An estimated 370,000 refugees have arrived in Bangladesh since the latest chapter in the Rohingya crisis unfolded after insurgents attacked police posts and an army base on August 25. The Rohingya and rights groups accused the army of appalling human rights abuse. The army denies killing and raping Rohingya and burning down their homes. UN human rights chief Zeid Raad Al Hussein has called Myanmar's security operation targeting the Rohingya "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing".