NAYPYITAW—Two policemen were wounded in a sneak attack by Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) insurgents on a Border Guard Police patrol on the Myanmar-Bangladesh border in Rakhine State on Saturday, according to the Myanmar military (or Tatmadaw).
The Border Guard Police were conducting a patrol along the border fence when they were shot by ARSA members from the Bangladesh side around 400 meters southeast of border post No. 41. A police lieutenant and a constable were injured in the incident.
The ARSA members retreated after military troops came to the rescue of the Border Guard Police officers, military spokesperson Brigadier-General Zaw Min Tun said.
“As I’ve said before, as Myanmar is due to submit a report to the ICJ [the International Court of Justice] this month, [ARSA] have become more active in the meantime,” he said.
The Myanmar military said it seized ammunition and military equipment from a temporary ARSA camp near the village of Kha Maung Seik in Rakhine State’s Maungdaw Township on April 8.
It also said that two policemen transporting important documents were killed in a sneak attack by ARSA near Kha Maung Seik on April 15, and two ARSA fighters were found dead along with improvised landmines, related materials and drugs on April 29.
ARSA—which the government has labeled a terrorist organization—launched a series of attacks on security outposts in northern Rakhine on Aug. 25, 2017, killing 12 security personnel.
The attacks prompted the Myanmar military to carry out clearance operations in the area that have driven nearly 700,000 Rohingya to flee to neighboring Bangladesh.
The Gambia, a member of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, filed a case accusing Myanmar of genocide against the Rohingya at the ICJ. The UN court in January ordered Myanmar to comply with four provisional measures as requested by The Gambia.
The measures require that Myanmar take steps to prevent genocide from occurring in the future; ensure that the military and its affiliates do not commit further acts of genocide; preserve all evidence of genocide; and provide regular updates on its progress on these measures.
The first report is due by the end of this month, with subsequent reports to be filed every six months thereafter until the case is completed.
Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko
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