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Myanmar Army Probing Atrocities against Rohingya | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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A police officer at a displacement camp for Rohingya in Rakhine State, Myanmar. AFP file photo


Myanmar’s military has said it is investigating its operations in Rakhine state, where the United Nations has accused troops of waging an ethnic cleansing campaign against minority Rohingya Muslims, who have fled in droves to Bangladesh.

According to statements released Friday, the military is now preparing to publish results of its internal investigation.

“An investigation team led by Defense Services Inspector General Lt-Gen Aye Win is inspecting security forces and military units (to see) whether they perform the assigned duties or not,” said a statement from the army’s “True News Information Team.”

But a separate post published on the army chief’s Facebook page suggested troops would be cleared of abuses, saying: “it was found that all actions conformed to the law.”

“Measures are being taken to make a comprehensive report,” added the statement on General Min Aung Hlaing’s Facebook page.

In the last seven weeks, more than half a million Rohingya have fled Rakhine for Bangladesh, shocking the globe with accounts of Myanmar soldiers and Buddhist mobs murdering and raping civilians before torching their villages to the ground.

The army has steadfastly denied the charges and insists it is targeting Rohingya militants who attacked police posts on August 25.

It has also blocked independent access to the conflict zone, triggering condemnation from the UN, which has accused the army of leading a systematic campaign to expel the Muslim minority.

The country’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who came to power in free elections in 2015, lacks control over the military.

But her reputation has been battered by the crisis, with rights groups voicing outrage over her perceived lack of sympathy towards the Rohingya and unwillingness to condemn alleged atrocities by the army.