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)