August 11, 2025
The Arakan Army (AA) said that the bodies found in Thanshaungkhan Village, Buthidaung Township, Rakhine State, were not Rohingya but members of military commission forces.
This statement came in response to claims made in early August by the Arakan Rohingya National Council (ARNC), which said it had obtained photos showing the AA killing more than 600 Rohingya in Thanshaungkhan.
AA spokesperson U Khaing Thukha said during an online press conference this morning that no massacre of Rohingya took place, and that the remains were those of junta troops.
According to him, in May 2024, during intense fighting in Buthidaung, commission forces from the No. 15 Military Operations Command retreated towards Thanshaungkhan Village. The AA blocked multiple routes and launched attacks, resulting in three days of heavy clashes. Around 200 junta soldiers were killed, with 40 to 100 bodies left unburied. He said the military boots and helmets in the photos were clear evidence they were soldiers.
However, the human rights group Fortify Rights has accused the AA of violating military laws against Rohingya civilians in villages and temporary detention camps under its control in Rakhine State.
