20 unidentified bodies found floating in Sittwe creek

Narinjara News, 13 June 2024

More than 20 unidentified bodies were found floating at the mouth of a creek in Aung Taing village under  Sittwe township of Rakhine State.

A boatman informed  Narinjara News that the bodies were seen in the morning hours of 8 June.

The  faces were covered with  clothes and some bodies were seen with their heads wrapped. Most of the victims were Arakanese, said a  resident of Sittwe.

"The bodies remain unidentified, but they are suspected to be ill-fated residents of Byine Phyu village. Many villagers were arrested by the junta forces from the locality and they might have been killed by the junta soldiers and thrown there,” added the resident.

Narinjara News tried to contact Arakan State security and border affairs minister and State government spokesperson as well as State attorney general U Hla Thein, but failed.

A response from Arakha Army (AA) spokesperson U Khaing Thukha is also awaited.

A member of Arakan civil society organization also confirmed that around 20 bodies were found floating at the location.

Meanwhile, out of hundreds of Byin Phyu villagers who were arrested by the junta soldiers, 40 were released on 7 June. Another batch of over 40 villagers was released the next day.  However, many villagers went missing after the massacre in Byine Phyu village.

U Khaing Thukha, at a press conference on 8 June, disclosed that from 13 November 2023 to 8 June  2024, 319 civilians were killed and 1,146 were injured due to the junta soldiers’ artillery shell firing. Moreover, 452 individuals have been arrested by them. ( Photo: Navy ship on Kyweday river near Sittwe)