Hindu American group condemns killing of Hindus in Myanmar, urges for open investigation

Washington: An eminent Hindu group in the US has expressed concern over reports that a mass grave containing the bodies of 28 Hindu villagers has been discovered in conflict-wreaked Myanmar's Rakhine state.

The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) has urged for an open and transparent investigation into these killings.

The Myanmar authorities have accused Muslim Rohingya militants of killing 28 Hindu villagers whose bodies were allegedly found in a mass grave.

"The international community and the government of Myanmar must work together towards a peaceful solution to this complex conflict one which upholds the rights of civilians of all communities involved," said Samir Kalra, Hindu American Foundation (HAF) senior director and author of Hindus in South Asia & the Diaspora: A Survey of Human Rights, 2017.

There were likely more mass graves yet to be discovered, as the recently-discovered dead appeared to be from a group of 100 Hindus attacked on August 25, by the Arkin Rohingya Salvation Army a militant group run by Rohingya emigres in Saudi Arabia, the HAF said.

In the past month, some 420,000 people have fled from Myanmar into Bangladesh, fleeing from a government crackdown on ASRA militants which resulted in some 200 Rohingya villages burned.

"HAF is in direct contact with sources in Bangladesh who are monitoring the condition of camps where Hindu refugees from Myanmar are staying. Their accounts are corroborating the media reports thus far regarding the violence against Hindus in the Rakhine region," Kalra said.