Episode: KPN 20-05-2026

HRW says Rakhine State remains unsafe for Rohingya return

Bangladesh continues to host more than 1.3 million Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar and on Bhasan Char Island as concerns over security and human rights conditions in Myanmar’s Rakhine State persist.

Human Rights Watch has stated that the massacre in Hoyyar Siri village demonstrates that conditions in Rakhine State remain unsafe for the return of Rohingya refugees, including in areas currently under the control of the Arakan Army.

Over the past decade, Myanmar’s military has been accused of carrying out ethnic cleansing, genocidal acts, and widespread atrocities against the Rohingya population in Rakhine State, forcing more than one million people to flee their homes.

In a statement, Meenakshi Ganguly said Myanmar’s military had shown “indifference” to the suffering of Rohingya civilians during the 2024 Hoyyar Siri massacre and had since failed to address broader human rights concerns affecting the community.

She urged the international community to pressure both Myanmar’s junta and the Arakan Army to uphold the rights of all communities in Rakhine State.

The remarks followed the release of a 56-page HRW report titled “Skeletons and Skulls Scattered Everywhere: Arakan Army Massacre of Rohingya Muslims in Hoyyar Siri, Myanmar,” published in Bangkok on May 18.

According to the report, hundreds of Rohingya Muslims were killed or wounded on May 2, 2024, when Arakan Army fighters allegedly opened fire on unarmed villagers seeking safety amid clashes near two Myanmar military bases in Buthidaung Township.

The Arakan Army has denied responsibility for the massacre at Hoyyar Siri, also known in Burmese as Htan Shauk Khan.

Human Rights Watch stated that details of the attack only began emerging more than a year later after survivors managed to flee to Bangladesh and Malaysia.

The organization said it interviewed dozens of witnesses and survivors, verified satellite imagery, and analyzed photographs and videos documenting the attack and destruction of the village.

HRW compiled a list of more than 170 villagers — including around 90 children — who were either killed or remain missing following the massacre. The actual death toll could be significantly higher, the report said.

The report also alleged that Arakan Army fighters burned down the village, looted cash and jewelry from residents, and detained civilians. One detainee told HRW that he and others were tortured, including through electric shocks.

Several witnesses additionally reported that Rohingya women and girls were abducted during the violence.

Human Rights Watch said that in February 2025, the Arakan Army ordered surviving residents of Hoyyar Siri to relocate to a nearby makeshift camp, where they reportedly faced restrictions on movement, forced labor, and shortages of food and medical assistance.

Some survivors who later escaped to Bangladesh claimed they were compelled to provide false testimony during a controlled media visit organized by the armed group in August 2024 to deny responsibility for the killings.

Human Rights Watch called on both the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army to immediately end attacks on civilians, release unlawfully detained individuals, and provide justice and compensation for victims and their families.

The Arakan Army reportedly told HRW it would cooperate with credible and independent international investigations.

HRW further urged both parties to allow access to international investigators, including the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Myanmar, and other human rights organizations.

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