Junta accuses AA of massacring Muslim villagers in Buthidaung Twsp

By Admin 18 Aug 2025

DMG Newsroom

18 August 2025, Buthidaung

Myanmar's military regime has alleged that over 600 Muslims in Htan Shauk Khan Village, part of Arakan State's Buthidaung Township, were massacred by the Arakan Army (AA) last year.

The AA seized the regime's Military Operations Command No. 15 in Buthidaung on May 2, 2024, and according to junta spokesman Maj-Gen Zaw Min Tun, committed genocide against Muslims when military and police personnel were not present in the area.

"This incident occurred on May 2, 2024, when the AA captured Military Operations Command No. 15 in Buthidaung. Therefore, at the time of the Htan Shauk Khan Village incident, there were no security personnel from the Myanmar military and Myanmar police force on the eastern side of the Mayu River," he said on August 15, adding that women and children were among the Muslims killed.

At least 200 soldiers from the military regime were killed during the battle for control of Buthidaung, U Khaing Thukha, spokesperson for the AA, said at a press conference on August 11, denying the massacre allegations.

"Some bodies were buried by the military regime, about 30 bodies in each pit, but some, nearly 100 bodies, were left unburied," U Khaing Thukha said. "Look carefully at the allegations and the photos. The helmets worn by junta soldiers, and the combat boots on the skeletons of the dead, are evidence. The alleged photos are of the bodies of soldiers who fell on the side of the military regime."

Regarding the matter, AA officials visited Htan Shauk Khan Village and interviewed the village head. The population of Htan Shauk Khan Village before the fighting was 993 and currently is 791, U Khaing Thukha said.

When AA officials asked the village head about the reason for the population decline, U Khaing Thukha said some villagers had fled to various areas, including refugee camps in Bangladesh, Yangon, and overseas.

With the two sides trading accusations, locals say the truth may require an independent investigation.

"The right answer is not to argue with each other and accuse each other. International officials should go to the ground and investigate. That way, we will know the right answer to this problem. In order to go to the ground and investigate, the relevant officials should be responsible for security," said a social activist in Arakan State.

Fortify Rights on July 23 alleged that the AA had committed war crimes against Muslims, including abductions, torture, and killings, and urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the ethnic armed group's conduct. The AA denies those allegations as well.

Earlier this month, the Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC) alleged in a statement, along with photographs, that the AA had killed about 600 Muslims, including children and pregnant women from Htan Shauk Khan Village in May 2024.

The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), established by the UN Human Rights Council, is investigating allegations of crimes against Muslims by AA forces, according to an annual report released on August 12.