False reporting exacerbates Rakhine conflict - Gov't Skip to main content

False reporting exacerbates Rakhine conflict - Gov't

Jan30-false-reporting
A briefing on recent developments in Rakhine State in progress (Photo-EMG)
The false reporting by U.N. agencies and international media and organisations could complicate the situation in Rakhine State, said Myanmar's government officials in a press briefing.

The briefing on a recent incident that happened in Ducheertan Village, Maungtaw Township, Rakhine State was held at the ministry of foreign affairs in Yangon yesterday. Foreign diplomats and officials from UN and international organisations attended the briefing.

Foreign Affairs Minister Wunna Maung Lwin, Home Affairs Minister Lieutenant General Ko Ko, Rakhine Conflict Investigation Commission Secretary Dr Kyaw Yin Hlaing and Deputy Border Affairs Minister Major General Maung Maung gave their accounts of the incident.

The Indonesian and Bangladeshi ambassadors also gave their accounts while the U.S. ambassador raised some questions, which the foreign affairs minister answered.

Minister Wunna Maung Lwin denied the deaths of many people in the incident that occurred on January 13 as reported by some media. He assured that U.N. organisations and media could report to the government if they have any evidence of the incident. 

In his briefing, the home affairs minister said police sergeant Aung Kyaw Thein went missing after the incident in Ducheertan Village. A group of policemen, including Aung Kyaw Thein, while on a regular patrol in the area, dispersed after they were attacked by a mob of Bengalis, he said.

The Bengali group was led by K Faik Dular, aged 23, who had completed training by Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO) in a neighbouring country. About 10 days before the incident, he was reported to have trained his friends how to handle guns by using dummy guns.

"Organisations should release reports based on reliable sources. Groundless information could exacerbate the situation and harm the rule of law. It should be noted that the local people would not forgive when the truth appears," said Lt-Gen Ko Ko. 

According to Ye Htut, presidential spokesperson and deputy information minister, the government took systematic measures so that unnecessary problems could not occur as the missing person is a police sergeant as well as a Rakhine national.

"We have dealt with the incident as an ordinary crime in order not to cause unnecessary problems. But actually, the culprits released false information with intent to cover up their offence. But there are those who believe the information. I mean news agencies, UN agencies and international organisations in that region. They are there to help resolve the conflict and ensure stability. But what they have done causes more confusion to the situation. We cannot accept that," said Ye Htut. 

Ducheertan village incident is systematically designed by those committed the crimes and spread false news. Some easily believed the news and spread the rumor so also some news agencies and organizations fabricated the news. Because of them, unnecessary doubts between the two groups in Rakhine State have raised said Ye Htut.

AP news agency and Irrawaddy news agency while describing the Ducheertan village incident, wrote that violence has been broke out in Ducheertan village, in Maungdaw, Rakhine State, and some Muslim women and children were killed. According to the one local of Maungdaw Township, about 40 were killed in that incident and wounds of some of the dead were obtained by knives wounds. These are the one sided news and are false news, the Government explained.

Deputy Minister Ye Htut said that they need domestic media strength to retaliate the international accusations, those want to profit from the conflict and issuing of one-sided news.

“As we all knew, some groups in international media are very fast in reporting the news. The best way to defy them is uniting with the strength of State owned media and journalists in the nation. We have requested the diplomats to abide by the diplomats’ code of conduct. International news agencies have to abide by the international code of conduct of journalists’. If they want to help this problem, they need to report the right and liable news on their part,” he added.

The Government will prevent the conflict between the two groups in Rakhine State. Action will be taken whatever side committed the crimes. People need to report the respective department with firm evidence if there are crimes occurred, he continued.

Bangladesh ambassador to Myanmar Gen Anup Kumar Chakma also said that concerning that problems, no one can trust the rumors and unconfirmed news. Issuing this false news only worsens the situation but Bangladesh will join hands with Myanmar in combating violence. Recently, Bangladesh has arrested three terrorists trying to enter Myanmar from Bangladesh, he said.

Dr. Kyaw Yin Hlaing, secretary of Rakhine conflict investigation commission said that the commission has launched the investigation into the allegations and inspected any mass murder there but only found that evidences for killing of Police Sgt Aung kyaw Thein and confirmed his loss. There were people fled from the area due to conflict but majority them are now at their homes.

“We have sent our reporters from Sittwe, Maungdaw and Yangon to cover the news. According to the data we got to date, the reports of Government are true. We also found out that there were wrong news releases by some of the international media. To get more detailed news, we are to send senior editor and gather news from local reporters. We will report after we get the detailed,” said Wai Phyo, Editor-in-Chief of The Daily Eleven.
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Eleven Myanmar
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