Dozens of Rohingya villages are completely destroyed

The Burmese authorities have completely destroyed dozens of Rohingya villages in the state of Rakhine after the residents were fleeing.

According to HRW, the authorities use heavy equipment to rid villages of 'all buildings and vegetation. 'Certainly 55 villages would have been flattened in such a way. In most cases it concerns settlements that were already partially or completely destroyed by arson, according to the human rights organization.

'In many of these villages, atrocities have been committed against Rohingya,' said Head of the Asia Department of HRW, Brad Adams. 'They should be retained so that UN-appointed experts can examine the evidence in a decent way, so that the perpetrators can be identified. '