YANGON: Seven people were killed when artillery rounds slammed into a monastery where they were sheltering from firefights between military and insurgent forces in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, witnesses said Tuesday.
The military has deployed thousands of troops to the western state, where it is locked in bloody battles with Arakan Army (AA) rebels fighting for more autonomy for ethnic Rakhine Buddhists.
Clashes are heating up in the same area where the military drove out 740,000 Rohingya Muslims in a 2017 campaign UN investigators have said amounted to genocide.
On Monday morning, fighting engulfed the village of Sapa Htar in northern Rakhine state’s Minbya township, village leader Myo Kyaw Aung told AFP by phone Tuesday.
He described how villagers took refuge in the local monastery after artillery fire hit several homes.
“Then ... shelling hit the monastery,” he said, adding that in addition to the seven deaths, an equal number were injured.
Many of the community of some 800 tried to flee but were trapped by artillery fire.
“We thought we were going to die,” Myo Kyaw Aung said, adding they did not know who had fired the shells.
Access to northern Rakhine state is extremely restricted making independent verification difficult.
Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Zaw Min Tun did not confirm the deaths but cast blame for civilian casualties on Arakan Army tactics.
“The area will become less stable if they continue to mount attacks from villages.”
But the rebel group held the military responsible.
“They knew villagers were staying at the monastery,” AA spokesman Khine Thu Kha told AFP.
More than 30,000 people have fled their homes in recent months because of the unrest.
A driver was injured Tuesday in a mine blast as he pulled off a main road — the second explosion in the area in five days.
Six of the seven wounded in Monday’s attack managed to reach hospital in the state capital, including two relatives of 53-year-old Hla Saw Shwe.
But his younger sister and niece were killed in the monastery.
“I just want the war to end,” he said sobbing.
Amnesty last week accused the military of committing war crimes, extrajudicial killings and torture in new operations, documenting seven unlawful attacks in which 14 civilians were killed.
The army confirmed it shot dead six detainees in late April.
But it denied Amnesty’s accusations, saying actions against “terrorists” were within the law.
The AA also dismissed allegations of abuses by Amnesty.
Seven killed in Myanmar monastery shelling: witnesses
Seven killed in Myanmar monastery shelling: witnesses
- Military deployed thousands of troops to fight rebels in Rakhine state
- Villagers hid in the monastery to escape the attacks
UK Police arrest 86 people at prison protest for Palestine Action hunger striker
- Demonstration outside Wormwood Scrubs held in support of Umer Khalid
- Khalid 1 of 5 people charged in connection with break-in at RAF base last year
LONDON: A protest outside a prison in the UK in support of a man detained for supporting the banned group Palestine Action has led to the arrest of 86 people.
London’s Metropolitan Police said a group of demonstrators breached the grounds of Wormwood Scrubs prison in the capital, refused to leave when ordered to do so, and threatened officers. They were arrested on suspicion of aggravated trespass.
The group, several of whom attempted to gain access to the prison itself, were protesting in support of Umer Khalid, who is currently on hunger strike at the facility.
Khalid is one of five people charged in relation to a break-in by Palestine Action members at an RAF base at Brize Norton last year, in which two military aircraft were damaged.
Khalid, who denies the charges, is one of several people who are on or who have taken part in hunger strikes in recent months, all of whom have been held on similar charges for over a year without their cases being brought to trial.
A spokesperson for the UK’s Ministry of Justice said: “The escalation of the protest at HMP Wormwood Scrubs is completely unacceptable. While we support the right to peacefully protest, reports of trespassing and threats being made to staff and police officers are deeply concerning.
“At no point was prison security compromised. However, where individuals’ actions cause risk or actual harm to hardworking staff, this will not be taken lightly and those responsible can expect to face consequences.
“Prisoners are being managed in line with longstanding policy. This includes regular checks by medical professionals, heart monitoring and blood tests, and support to help them eat and drink again. If deemed appropriate by healthcare teams, prisoners will be taken to hospital.”
