Members of a commission appointed by the Rakhine State Hluttaw have accused Rohingya who said they fled to Bangladesh to escape violence of being liars, a Dhaka newspaper has reported.
The allegation followed a visit by members of the Maungdaw Investigation Commission to refugee camps at Cox’s Bazaar on March 19 and 20.
The commission is one of three appointed to investigate allegations of violence in northern Rakhine after security forces launched a clearance operation in October following an attack by militants on border guard posts that left nine police dead.
More than 75,000 Rohingya are said to have fled to Bangladesh since the clearance operation began.
Rohingya refugees at Cox’s Bazaar said the commission members dismissed their claims of murder, torture and rape by the Myanmar security forces, the Dhaka Tribune reported on March 20.
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It quoted Mr Anwar Kamal, who was described as a recent Rohingya refugee, as claiming after he described atrocities he had seen in Rakhine that one of the commissioners called him a liar.
Whenever a refugee would speak, the commissioners would interrupt and say they were lying, Anwar told the newspaper.
The report also quoted another man who described himself as a Rohingya refugee as expressing disappointment with the commissioners.
It said the man, Mr Hafez Ahmed, had with other refugees told the commissioners they wanted to return to Rakhine when it was safe for them. The commissioners had made no response, said Hafez.
