Press Release: ARSA Ambush No Excuse For Further Violence Against Rohingya

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE ARSA Ambush No Excuse For Further Violence Against Rohingya January 7, 2018 International Campaign for the Rohingya condemns the ambush on January 5, 2018, by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) of a military vehicle in Burma’s Rakhine State, which wounded five members of the Burmese security forces. Today, ARSA issued a statement taking responsibility for the attack. International Campaign for the Rohingya condemns violence by all sides in Rakhine State and remains resolutely committed to using only peaceful means to end the repression and violence by Burma’s army against Rohingya communities in Burma (Myanmar). The Burmese army exploited similar attacks by ARSA in August 2017 as a pretext for military operations that included attacks on Rohingya civilians. Those attacks by the Burmese army drove over 600,000 Rohingya to seek refuge in Bangladesh and were rightly condemned as “ethnic cleansing” by the United Nations and the United States. “International Campaign for the Rohingya is deeply concerned that the Burmese army will exploit this ambush as a pretext to speed its march towards genocide of the Rohingya people. International Campaign for the Rohingya will respond to any act of violence against Rohingya civilians by the Burmese army by working to increase the sanctions by governments and citizens on the Burmese army, military officers and commanders, and business interests of the Burmese military,” stated Simon Billenness, Executive Director of the International Campaign for the Rohingya. Simon Billenness Executive Director International Campaign for the Rohingya (617) 596-6158 (cell) [email protected] www.rohingyacampaign.org Joseph K. Grieboski Board Chair International Campaign for the Rohingya (202) 594-8999 (cell) [email protected]