November 26, 2016
Tatmadaw forces entered Lound Don on Friday and went on a shooting spree killing and wounding many Rohingyas. Many people are feared dead following the deadly assault, while many more have been apprehended and taken to unknown locations.
The army took up positions around the Hatipara neighbourhood of the restive village tract at around 4am in the morning. At around 5.30 am, they started heavy machine gunfire and gradually advanced into the area. Many Rohingyas were shot down as the Tatmadaw kept up a steady hail of gunfire at the fleeing populace.
Amid the confusion, sources could identify only two of the deceased. They are two brothers Hamid Ullah and Sayed Ullah. But the actual death toll is much higher, with more than 10 people killed, report local sources. Many have also been wounded critically, and are likely to succumb especially as the populace has no access to medical care. At least one escaping man was executed by the Tatmadaw who cut his throat.
The Tatmadaw also rounded up around 60 men and took them outside the village. Around a dozen elderly men were released after being brutally beaten up. The others were taken towards the hills. It is feared they might be shot and buried in unknown locations. Sporadic blasts of gunfire from that direction have added to the worries of friends and relatives.
Many men captured by the Tatmadaw have been taken to unknown locations with no one having knowledge of their whereabouts. This has led to fears they have been either tortured or killed in custody.
Even before the recent crackdown, more than a hundred Muslim men have been tortured to death in custody since 2012.
There are reports the Tatmadaw captured many women and gang raped them.
A heavy military presence has continued in the area till the later hours of Friday. Ludaing has been under continuous Tatmadaw attack with many people killed, women raped and the holy Quran desecrated, but Friday’s raid looks to be the deadliest on the village tract.
Meanwhile Tatmadaw has also intensified their presence around Maung Hna Ma, Kawa Bil and Nari Bil. They seem to be looking for men who are hiding in the hills or the paddy fields. As a result of continuous assaults on these villages, Rohingyas have left their homes and are in hiding but it looks like the Tatmadaw is eager to root them out.
There are also reports that the Tatmadaw has once again attacked Nga Sa Gru where dozens were killed earlier since the first days of the ongoing crackdown which started one and a half months ago.
False hopes of relief
There was a momentary hope on Thursday for the Rohingyas stranded in the field north of Mun Gala when a team of Rakhine government officials arrived with a huge consignment of aid. However, after they photographed handing aid to the Rohingyas, they packed it up and left.
The humanitarian situation in Mun Gala is alarming with many children dying from diarrhoea in the unhygienic conditions as thousands remain stranded on a field north of the village tract. The displaced people are people fleeing from the villages of Sau Ra Gazi Bil, Bor Gazi Bil, Ra Bai La, Sa Li Frang and other village tracts which have been pounded by the Tatmadaw leading to the death of more than a hundred people in the last two weeks. The field has become an open air prison as Hlun Htein strictly restricts the movements of the displaced people, looking to escape over the border to Bangladesh.
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