World News

Myanmar troops burnt tattoos and gave people urine to drink

Myanmar soldiers killed at least 50 people last week in a raid on a village in Rakhine State, said residents and resistance groups.

 

Be aware that some of the information in this piece may upset you.

 

People who were there told the BBC that the village was terrorised for two and a half days by troops who beat them up, put burning petrol on their skin, and made some of them drink their pee.

 

People who backed the Arakan Army (AA), which has become one of the best ethnic fighting groups in Myanmar, were being sought.

 

"Violently tortured and killed" 51 people between the ages of 15 and 70, according to a statement from the National Unity Government (NUG), which is the new civilian government. A group called AA said that more than 70 people had died.

 

The military council in charge, or junta, has rejected the claims. If true, they would be one of the worst crimes in Myanmar's three-year civil war.

 

One woman told the TGE, "They asked the men if the AA was in this village."

 

"The soldiers hit them no matter what they said, whether they said AA was there, wasn't there, or they didn't know."

 

In just six months, the AA has taken over most of Rakhine State, making the troops keep pulling back. It broke a peace deal with the army last year and joined with ethnic rebels in other parts of the country to try to get rid of the junta that took power in February 2021.

 

"I saw my husband being taken away in a military vehicle with my own eyes." We lost touch with our son, and I have no idea where he is. "Is my son and husband still alive or dead?" the woman said.

 

Witnesses' names are not being used to keep them safe.



According to the BBC, everyone in the town of just over 1,000 homes was locked outside in the sun for two days with nothing to eat or drink. Dozens of men were also tied down and hooded, and some were taken away in trucks to be questioned further. A lot of them haven't come back yet.

 

After being out in the sun all day, they begged for water. The woman told the BBC that the soldiers peed in water bottles and gave them to the men.

 

She said she heard "lots of gunshots" but couldn't see anyone getting shot "because we had to keep our heads down."

 

"I was afraid to look." They called someone close to me. Then I heard a gun go off. He didn't come back.

 

She cried because she was afraid about her son and husband. "I didn't know if they were dead or alive," she said. "Buddha, please save them," I prayed for them."

 

People who were there say they heard soldiers calling for shovels to bury the bodies. Some of them were drunk, they say.

 

It is thought that more than 100 soldiers attacked the village of Byai Phyu on Wednesday. The town is not far from Sittwe, which is the state capital.

 

Sittwe, a city with about 200,000 people, a big port, and an airport, is one of the last bases of the Burmese army. The rebels, on the other hand, are close and have the support of many Rakhine people.

 

Locals say that guys with tattoos that showed they supported the AA were treated incredibly severely. A person who saw what happened said that the soldiers cut out the inked skin, put gas on it, and lit it on fire.

 

Another witness said that an army officer told the locals that he was coming to get even with them after fighting in northern Shan State, where the military lost a lot of people at the end of last year.

 

Losing Rakhine State, which is on the border with Bangladesh, would be the worst thing that could happen to Myanmar's armed forces.

 

On Friday, people still in the market were told to get a few things and leave. Most of those left were women, children, and older people. They said the forces had already taken anything substantial from their homes, like cash, jewelry, or solar panels.

 

The locals were first taken to a stadium in Sittwe, but most have since moved to Buddhist temples in the city to find safety.

 

The TGE has learned that the army still controls Byai Phyu, and no one can return. Some say that much of the town has been burned down.

 

The NUG has said that they will make those guilty of war crimes in Byai Phyu pay for them. The AA also said that what it calls "the fascist military council" was "viciously cruel" and that a group raped some women in Byai Phyu.

 

The junta has rejected all claims of torture, saying that they were only taking "peace and security" steps in the village because they saw sandbag bunkers there. It says that the Arakan Army is attacking with drones from that part of Sittwe.

 

Because Rakhine State is so isolated and the fighting is so bad, independent investigations into what happened in Byai Phyu will not be conducted for a while.

 

But what survivors have said is a scary sign of what could happen in other parts of Myanmar, where the military is losing ground to an armed resistance force that is becoming more confident and skilled.