Rohingya Crisis Deepens Amid Violence, Propaganda, and Stranded Refugees
August 23, 2025
RHRC-Rohingya survivors of Thanshoek (Hoyaseri) village have reported that they are being pressured by the Arakan Army (AA) to deny its role in a massacre and instead blame the Myanmar military.
On August 19, AA transported fire-affected villagers to Buthidaung town, instructing them to state before the media that the killings were carried out by the military council, not AA. The next day, other survivors were taken to Đần Tắng, served food, and recorded on video by AA/ULA officials.
Community members said these tactics mirror those previously used by the Myanmar military to conceal atrocities. “This is propaganda. AA is using food and threats to force Rohingyas to deny their crimes,” one local said.
Recent evidence points to AA’s direct involvement, raising concerns that the group is attempting to deflect blame amid growing international scrutiny. Human rights observers warn that such coercion obstructs accountability and hides the truth.
IIMM Chief: Rohingyas Cannot Return Safely Until Crimes End
Nicholas Khunjan, head of the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM), has warned that Rohingya refugees cannot return to Myanmar until violence ceases and perpetrators are held accountable.
Speaking in Bangladesh on August 21 ahead of the Partner Organizations Dialogue Meeting on the Rohingya Situation in Cox’s Bazar, Khunjan stressed:
“No one has been punished for these heinous crimes. When crimes go unpunished, they fuel more violence.”
The meeting, hosted by Bangladesh, will feed into a UN high-level conference in New York next month, coinciding with the 8th anniversary of Myanmar’s 2017 clearance operations that forced over 750,000 Rohingyas to flee.
IIMM has opened fresh investigations into killings, arson, torture, sexual violence, and land confiscation. Its evidence has already supported cases at the ICC, ICJ, and Argentina’s Federal Court, including an arrest warrant request for Myanmar’s junta leader Min Aung Hlaing.
Over 1,000 Repatriated Rohingyas Stranded on Jaliadwip Island
Rakhine State — More than 1,000 Rohingyas repatriated from Bangladesh are stranded on Jaliadwip Island in the Nat River, suffering from hunger, exposure, and poor health, according to a Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) official. Children, the elderly, and pregnant women are in critical condition.
Sources report that the Arakan Army has expelled Rohingyas from villages, resettled Rakhines in their homes, and forced many displaced families to attempt crossings into Bangladesh. Intensified clashes between AA, Myanmar’s military, and Rohingya armed groups have left families trapped in desperate conditions.
Bangladesh has tightened border controls, leaving 300–400 Rohingyas stranded on nearby Laldia Island. A BGB officer confirmed:
“More than 1,000 Rohingyas were arrested this month while trying to cross at night and sent back to Myanmar. Most were refugees from Buthidaung.”
According to a local boatman, those stranded on Jaliadwip are “starving, cold, and without shelter.”
The UN estimates nearly 180,000 Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh over the past 18 months amid worsening violence in Rakhine State.
