Cox’s Bazar, September 2025 — A newly published report by Kaladan Press Network has laid bare one of the darkest episodes in recent Rohingya history: the massacre of hundreds of Rohingya civilians by the Arakan Army (AA) in Htan Shauk Khan village, Buthidaung township, on May 2, 2024. Drawing on testimonies from survivors, the report documents systematic killings, mass burnings, and sexual violence that amount to grave crimes against humanityKill-Them-All-02aa.
The Morning That Turned Into Mass Death
Htan Shauk Khan, known locally as Hoyya Siri, was a farming community entirely populated by Rohingya. Villagers recall that on the morning of May 2, Myanmar Army troops entered the area, warning civilians to evacuate as fighting with the AA was imminent. Hundreds of men, women, and children began to flee in different directions. But their search for safety quickly collapsed into a nightmare.
Soon after, AA troops arrived in large numbers. Witnesses said villagers were ordered out of their homes at gunpoint and herded to the main road. Among them were two Myanmar Army soldiers who had been hiding in the village. The villagers were persuaded to hand the soldiers over to the AA, believing that would spare their lives. Instead, the villagers were forced to sit in rows with their heads bowed.
One young survivor recalled hearing a chilling order over a walkie-talkie: “Ah-lone that pit laik!” (Kill them all!). Moments later, AA soldiers opened fire indiscriminately with rifles, machine guns, and grenades. Families were wiped out in front of each other’s eyesKill-Them-All-02aa.
A 19-year-old boy watched as his mother, father, and five siblings were gunned down beside him. He survived only by pulling his mother’s blood-stained scarf over his body and playing dead while AA fighters moved through the crowd, shooting anyone who showed signs of life.
Another woman described lying on the ground with her two young daughters, pretending to be lifeless after her husband and two other children were killed. In the chaos, villagers attempting to flee across paddy fields were chased, blocked, and gunned down. One farmer lost 30 relatives in a single morning.
Villages Set Ablaze
As bodies fell, Htan Shauk Khan itself was engulfed in flames. Survivors fleeing toward U Hla Pe village saw homes, mosques, and shops burning. Later visits confirmed that almost the entire northern section of the village had been destroyed by fire. Out of more than 200 houses, only a handful were left standing. Even mosques were reduced to ashesKill-Them-All-02aa.
Sexual Violence: Women Targeted
The report provides harrowing accounts of sexual violence committed by AA soldiers. Several women were raped while attempting to flee. One woman, carrying her two children, was dragged into the grass by soldiers. Her body was later discovered half-naked, with a knife wound running from her crotch to her stomach, and her two beheaded children lying beside her.
Witnesses described other young women being captured, raped, and killed in similar fashion. An 18-year-old pregnant villager was also raped and killed while trying to escape.
At least twelve women, some as young as 15, were captured alive and taken to the former Myanmar Army base LIB 551, now under AA control. Survivors reported seeing them forced to wash clothes and cook for soldiers, kept as sex slaves inside the compound. Four of the women later died in captivityKill-Them-All-02aa.
Others who dared to return to Htan Shauk Khan months later were also assaulted. A teenage girl, who lost nearly her entire family, recalled sneaking back to her home only to be ambushed. Two women in her group were captured, beaten, and raped before being released.
The violence was not confined to Htan Shauk Khan. In Nyaung Chaung, another Rohingya village in Buthidaung, women were repeatedly taken away at night to be raped by AA fighters. One young woman was so brutally assaulted that she collapsed in a haystack. When villagers tried to intervene, she was shot dead in the streetKill-Them-All-02aa.
Forcible Detention and Disappearances
Those who survived the massacre and fled to U Hla Pe village were not safe. Testimonies reveal that the AA detained groups of displaced Rohingya, seizing their mobile phones, valuables, and documents. Young men who had been previously recruited by the Myanmar Army were singled out, taken away, and never seen again. Villagers were kept under tight guard, surrounded by AA outposts, and denied humanitarian assistance. For two months, they received no aid at all, before a token distribution of rice and oilKill-Them-All-02aa.
Burning Bodies to Erase Evidence
Two days after the killings, AA soldiers forced local villagers to return to Htan Shauk Khan and burn the corpses. Witnesses described seeing four piles of bodies covered with tarpaulins, each around two meters high. The stench of decomposing bodies was unbearable. Later, when villagers returned, they saw piles of charred bones and remains, and others floating in a pond behind the village mosqueKill-Them-All-02aa.
Escape to Bangladesh at a Price
Many of those who escaped eventually fled across the Naf River into Bangladesh. But even then, the journey came at a heavy price. Refugees said they had to buy written permission from the AA to leave. Payments ran into hundreds of thousands of kyat per person. A religious teacher reported paying 275,000 Bangladeshi taka — around 2,250 US dollars — for permission for his family to cross. Before departure, he was also forced to surrender all his official documents, including his household list and land tax forms, effectively erasing his legal ties to his homelandKill-Them-All-02aa.
Survivors’ Voices of Loss
The testimonies gathered in the report reveal staggering personal losses. One teenager recounted losing 60 relatives in the massacre. A mother of two recalled watching her husband and children killed in front of her before fleeing with her surviving daughters. Another woman described returning to search for family members only to find the mutilated bodies of neighbors and relatives strewn across fields.
These voices, recorded by Rohingya lawyer and activist Razia Sultana, form the backbone of the report. They not only document atrocities but also dismantle the AA’s official narrative, which has denied responsibility and claimed the dead were Myanmar Army soldiers.
A Call for Justice
The Kaladan Press Network concludes that the massacre in Htan Shauk Khan was deliberate, organized, and ordered from the highest levels of the AA command. The report stresses that systematic sexual violence was carried out against Rohingya women, with survivors kept as sex slaves.
The report calls on the Arakan Army to take responsibility, release detainees, end sexual slavery, and hold its commanders accountable. It urges the enforcement of accountability and independent monitoring to prevent further crimesKill-Them-All-02aa.
The Legacy of Htan Shauk Khan
For the Rohingya survivors now scattered in Bangladesh and beyond, the scars of May 2, 2024, remain raw. Their testimonies are not just accounts of tragedy but also evidence in the struggle for justice.
The story of Htan Shauk Khan is a reminder of the continuing vulnerability of Rohingya communities caught between armed groups and political forces in Arakan. It also reflects the urgent need for international monitoring, protection, and accountability to prevent further atrocities.
As one survivor put it, describing how she saw her children die before her eyes: “They told us to leave our homes. We believed we would be safe. Instead, they killed everyone.”
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