Burma’s ‘hidden genocide’: A rare visit to Rohingya refugee camps

     Gemunu Amarasinghe / AP

A Rohingya man pushes a rickshaw leaving a camp for displaced Rohingya people in Sittwe, northwestern Rakhine State, Myanmar, Thursday, May 16, 2013. Some members of the Rohingya minority started to evacuate for safer shelters ahead of Cyclone Mahasen, while others refused to leave, mistrusting the government

May 18 2013

Daniel Otis 

In western Burma, 140,000 people have been forced from their homes by communal violence. Their camps are now at risk of being inundated by monsoons.

RAKHINE STATE, BURMA—As a mob of Arakanese Buddhists descended on their village, Ma Nu, 52, and her family pushed off in their fishing boat.

“The day before, we were given leaflets, telling us to leave,” says Ma Nu, a Rohingya Muslim. “We lived together for decades. We never thought anything like this could happen.”

From the water, they watched the violence unfold. Stragglers were attacked and houses were looted with the assistance of local police. Then, a hail of Molotov cocktails set Shwe Pya village ablaze. More than 800 houses were destroyed. At least three villagers had their throats slit, according to Ma Nu..  

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