{"id":1477,"date":"2018-02-27T18:07:35","date_gmt":"2018-02-27T18:07:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/?p=1477"},"modified":"2018-02-27T18:07:35","modified_gmt":"2018-02-27T18:07:35","slug":"everything-is-gone-satellite-images-in-myanmar-show-dozens-of-rohingya-villages-bulldozed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/2018\/02\/27\/everything-is-gone-satellite-images-in-myanmar-show-dozens-of-rohingya-villages-bulldozed\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Everything is gone&#8217;: satellite images in Myanmar show dozens of Rohingya villages bulldozed"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Myanmar\u2019s government is using bulldozers to erase dozens of villages in Rakhine state in a vast operation that rights groups say is destroying evidence of mass atrocities against the ethnic\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/rohingya\">Rohingya<\/a>\u00a0Muslim minority.<\/p>\n<p>Satellite images released by Colorado-based DigitalGlobe on Friday show the empty villages and hamlets completely levelled by authorities in recent weeks. The villages were all set ablaze in the wake of violence in August last year, when a clearance operation drove hundreds of thousands of Rohingya into exile in Bangladesh.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-rich-link element--thumbnail element-rich-link--upgraded\">\n<div class=\"rich-link tone-news--item rich-link--pillar-news\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__container\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__image-container u-responsive-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/78673b11b5a387d9e0bbd2e1f65bf380ef83799a\/0_464_2719_1631\/master\/2719.jpg?w=460&amp;q=55&amp;auto=format&amp;usm=12&amp;fit=max&amp;s=885fa4287237512aea00f512ec0d009f\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__header\">\n<h1 class=\"rich-link__title\"><a class=\"rich-link__link\">Myanmar: satellite imagery confirms Rohingya village of Tula Toli razed<\/a><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__arrow\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more-text\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>While Myanmar\u2019s government claims it is simply trying to rebuild a devastated region, the operation has raised concern among human rights advocates, who say the government is destroying scores of crime scenes before any credible investigation. The Rohingya believe the government is intentionally eviscerating the remnants of their culture to make it nearly impossible for them to return.<\/p>\n<p>One displaced Rohingya woman said she recently visited her former home in Myin Hlut and was shocked by what she saw. Most houses had been torched last year, but now, \u201ceverything is gone, not even the trees are left\u201d, the woman, named Zubairia, said. \u201cThey just bulldozed everything &#8230; I could hardly recognise it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The 18-year-old said other homes in the area that had been abandoned but not damaged were also flattened. \u201cAll the memories that I had there are gone,\u201d she said. \u201cThey\u2019ve been erased.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Myanmar\u2019s armed forces are accused not just of burning Muslim villages with the help of Buddhist mobs, but also of carrying out massacres, rapes and widespread looting. The latest crisis in Rakhine state began in August after Rohingya insurgents launched a series of unprecedented attacks on security posts.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"element element-rich-link element--thumbnail element-rich-link--upgraded\">\n<div class=\"rich-link tone-feature--item rich-link--pillar-news\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__container\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__image-container u-responsive-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/97077abdbc1834caab13fc192389864b51a32f3e\/0_360_6562_3938\/master\/6562.jpg?w=460&amp;q=55&amp;auto=format&amp;usm=12&amp;fit=max&amp;s=101bf10cf678d769c56a28d74c89cd2c\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__header\">\n<h1 class=\"rich-link__title\"><a class=\"rich-link__link\">Witness to a massacre: the former Myanmar soldier who saw his village burn<\/a><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more\">\n<div class=\"rich-link__arrow\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"rich-link__read-more-text\">Read more<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Aerial photographs of the damage were first made public on 9 February when the European Union\u2019s ambassador to\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/myanmar\">Myanmar<\/a>, Kristian Schmidt, posted images taken from an aircraft of what he described as a \u201cvast bulldozed area\u201d south of the town of Maungdaw.<\/p>\n<p>Satellite imagery from DigitalGlobe indicates at least 28 villages or hamlets were destroyed in a 50km radius around Maungdaw between December and February. On some of the cleared areas, construction crews had erected new buildings and helipads. A similar analysis by Human Rights Watch on Friday said at least 55 villages had been affected.<\/p>\n<p>The government has spoken of plans to rebuild the region for months, and it has been busily expanding roads, repairing bridges, and constructing shelters, including dozens at a large transit camp at Taungpyo, near the Bangladesh border. The camp opened in January to house returning refugees; but none have arrived and Rohingya have continued to flee.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"img-2\" class=\"element element-image img--landscape  fig--narrow-caption fig--has-shares \">\n<div class=\"u-responsive-ratio\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"gu-image\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/d3b6666936e058a08dc7b95c1d8f8dceeb32d987\/892_0_3424_2057\/master\/3424.jpg?w=300&amp;q=55&amp;auto=format&amp;usm=12&amp;fit=max&amp;s=714989346f8876b65da303679a93bace\" alt=\"The village of Myar Zin in Rakhine state, Myanmar, in December last year and again in February.\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"block-share block-share--article  hide-on-mobile \"><a class=\"rounded-icon block-share__item block-share__item--facebook js-blockshare-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dialog\/share?app_id=180444840287&amp;href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2018%2Ffeb%2F24%2Fmyanmar-rohingya-villages-bulldozed-satellite-images%3FCMP%3Dshare_btn_fb%26page%3Dwith%3Aimg-2%23img-2&amp;picture=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.guim.co.uk%2Fd3b6666936e058a08dc7b95c1d8f8dceeb32d987%2F892_0_3424_2057%2F3424.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"u-h\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"rounded-icon block-share__item block-share__item--twitter js-blockshare-link\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=%27Everything%20is%20gone%27%3A%20satellite%20images%20in%20Myanmar%20show%20dozens%20of%20Rohingya%20villages%20bulldozed&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2018%2Ffeb%2F24%2Fmyanmar-rohingya-villages-bulldozed-satellite-images%3FCMP%3Dshare_btn_tw%26page%3Dwith%3Aimg-2%23img-2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"u-h\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"rounded-icon block-share__item block-share__item--pinterest js-blockshare-link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/pin\/create\/button\/?description=%27Everything%20is%20gone%27%3A%20satellite%20images%20in%20Myanmar%20show%20dozens%20of%20Rohingya%20villages%20bulldozed&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fworld%2F2018%2Ffeb%2F24%2Fmyanmar-rohingya-villages-bulldozed-satellite-images%3Fpage%3Dwith%3Aimg-2%23img-2&amp;media=https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.guim.co.uk%2Fd3b6666936e058a08dc7b95c1d8f8dceeb32d987%2F892_0_3424_2057%2F3424.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span class=\"u-h\">Pinterest<\/span><\/a><\/div><figcaption class=\"caption caption--img caption caption--img\"><span class=\"inline-triangle inline-icon \">\u00a0<\/span>The village of Myar Zin in Rakhine state, Myanmar, in December last year and again in February. Photograph: AP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Myanmar\u2019s parliament has also approved a $15m budget to build a fence and related projects along the Bangladesh border in Rakhine state, from which about 700,000 Rohingya have fled since August. Deputy home affairs minister General Aung Soe testified on Thursday that fences covering 202km of the 293km border had already been completed.<\/p>\n<div id=\"dfp-ad--inline1\" class=\"js-ad-slot ad-slot ad-slot--inline ad-slot--inline1 ad-slot--rendered\">\n<div class=\"ad-slot__label\">Advertisement<\/div>\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/59666047\/theguardian.com\/world\/article\/ng_6__container__\" class=\"ad-slot__content\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Myint Khine, a government administrator in Maungdaw, said some of the new homes were intended for Muslims. Many Rohingya fear authorities are seizing land they\u2019ve lived on for generations.<\/p>\n<p>One list, published by the government in December, indicated 787 houses but only 22 were slated for \u201cBengalis\u201d \u2013 the word Myanmar nationalists often use to describe the Rohingya, who they say are illegal migrants from Bangladesh.<\/p>\n<p>Myint Khine denied an ulterior motive. \u201cOf course we have been using machines like earth removers and bulldozers because we have to clear the ground first before building new houses,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Chris Lewa, whose Arakan Project monitors the persecuted Muslim minority\u2019s plight, said: \u201cHow will they identify where they lived, if nothing is left, if nothing can be recognised?<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTheir culture, their history, their past, their present \u2013 it\u2019s all being erased. When you see the pictures, it\u2019s clear that whatever was left \u2013 the mosques, the cemeteries, the homes \u2014 they\u2019re gone.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Richard Weir, a Myanmar expert with Human Rights Watch, said: \u201cThere\u2019s no more landmarks, there\u2019s no trees, there\u2019s no vegetation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEverything is wiped away, and this is very concerning, because these are crime scenes,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s been no credible investigation of these crimes. And so, what we\u2019re talking about really is obstruction of justice.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Myanmar\u2019s government is using bulldozers to erase dozens of villages in Rakhine state in a vast operation that rights groups say is destroying evidence of mass atrocities against the ethnic\u00a0Rohingya\u00a0Muslim minority. Satellite images released by Colorado-based DigitalGlobe on Friday show the empty villages and hamlets completely levelled by authorities in recent weeks. The villages were all set ablaze in the&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/2018\/02\/27\/everything-is-gone-satellite-images-in-myanmar-show-dozens-of-rohingya-villages-bulldozed\/\">Read more &raquo;<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":48,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article-post"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/48"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1477"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1477\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1478,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1477\/revisions\/1478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/baileyonlineclassroom.com\/southandcentralasiablog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}