Junta general detained in Rakhine to be punished for war crimes: Arakan Army
Last Updated on December 15, 2024 6:47 am
The Arakan Army (AA), an ethnic armed group in Rakhine, has been fighting the ruling junta government in Myanmar for a long time.
On Sunday (December 8), the armed group captured a battalion of the Border Guard Police (BGP) deployed to protect Maungdaw in Rakhine state, which borders Bangladesh.
The country’s media outlet The Irrawaddy reported, citing the Arakan Army (AA), that the detained junta commander, Brigadier General Thurin Tun, is responsible for war crimes in Rakhine state in western Myanmar and will be punished accordingly.
“We will thoroughly investigate him and ensure he is punished for the crimes he committed,” said Khaing Thukha, a spokesman for the ethnic armed group.
The Irrawaddy reported that about 700 junta troops were deployed under the command of Brigadier General Thurin Tun, commander of the 15th Military Operations Command (MOC) based in Buthidaung. Before the battalion fell, Thurin Tun fled with a small group of soldiers, including his personal assistant. However, they were later captured by the Arakan Army.
After the fall of Buthidaung Township in May this year, Thurin Tun moved the 15th MOC to Maungdaw. From his base at the 5th Border Guard Police Battalion, he rallied troops, including Muslim forces, to repel the Arakan Army’s attacks.
According to Khaing Thukha, when the Arakan AA approached the police battalion, some junta soldiers were preparing to surrender. Having made this decision, they were shot dead on the orders of Thurin Tun. Therefore, they could not surrender and many were trapped inside the battalion.
Thurin Tun attended the Officer Training School in its 22nd intake and became the operational commander at the Central Command in Mandalay after the 2021 coup. Thurin was later promoted to the rank of brigadier general and appointed commander of the 15th MOC.
He is accused of taking the lead in suppressing anti-coup protesters, arresting and torturing dissidents, and trying and imprisoning them.
He is also accused of forcibly training and arming Rohingya in Maungdaw, intimidating Rohingya residents to protest against the Arakan Army, and inciting ethnic hatred by spreading false news.
Autorickshaw garage fire, 34 vehicles incinerated Autorickshaw garage fire, 34 vehicles incinerated U Aung Kyaw Moe, deputy human rights minister for the national unity government, said, “Thurin Tun has deliberately complicated the situation in northern Rakhine and planned to increase tensions between the two communities. He has forced many Rohingya youth to undergo military training through incitement and intimidation.”