Arakanese protest at Myanmar Embassy in Washington D.C.

By Min Tun 14 May 2019

Min Tun/ DMG

May 14, Sittwe

Headed by the Arakan American Community (AAC), over 100 Arakanese and other ethnic nationalities from Myanmar now living in the U.S demonstrated in front of the Myanmar Embassy in Washington D.C. on Monday for the killings and incarceration of villagers from Kyauktan village in Rathedaung Township and Letka village in Mrauk-U Township during the Tatmadaw’s interrogation.

Six out of 275 men from Kyauktan village were killed and eight others injured by gunfire during 14 days of interrogation and three out of 27 villagers from Letka village died during the Tatmadaw’s detention for questioning.

The bodies from Kyauktan village were cremated with the knowledge of their families, but bodies of villagers from Letka village were not seen by their family.

The protestors held English banners with slogans that read: “Stop killing civilians”, “Stop selling weapons to Burma” and “Justice for Arakan.”

The AAC also released a statement demanding: 1) an immediate end to the targeting of civilians; 2) the release of all detainees; 3) the establishment of an independent inquiry excluding army generals; 4) accountability for those who have committed war crimes and rights abuses; and 5) access to humanitarian organizations in northern Arakan State.

The protesters performed a funeral service for nine villagers recently killed while being detained by the Tatmadaw.

The Arakan American Community said that they protested against alleged extrajudicial killings of Arakanese civilians, human rights violations and war crimes by the Tatmadaw.

The Tatmadaw arrested 24 villagers from Letkar village and 6 from Kyauktan village relating to possible affiliations with the AA and transferred them to police for ongoing investigation, the Tatmadaw released.