45 Slain Hindu Bodies Unearthed From Mass Graves in Rakhine State
Two of the graves were found Sunday and contained the bodies of 20 females.
Myanmar officials said on Monday they have discovered at least 45 slain Hindus in three mass graves in the Southeast Asian country's conflict-torn northern Rakhine state.
The government blames Muslim insurgents for the killings.
Two of the graves were found on Sunday and contained the bodies of 20 females and eight males, Border Guard Police Maj Zayar Nyein said.
The government's Information Committee said on its Facebook page that all eight males were boys, including six who were under 10 years old.
It said another mass grave was discovered 200 metres (200 yards) away on Monday that contained the bodies of 17 more Hindu villagers.
Police blame the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army insurgent group, or ARSA.
Security forces say the bodies are of about 100 Hindus missing since ARSA attacked at least 30 police outposts on 25 August.
There was no immediate way to independently verify the government's assertions.
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) is the group whose attacks on police posts triggered an army backlash so brutal that the UN believes it amounts to ethnic cleansing of the Muslim minority.
More than 430,000 Rohingya have fled the region to Bangladesh in less than a month. Some 30,000 Hindus and Buddhists based in the area have also been displaced, with some saying they were terrorised by Rohingya militants.
Video Editor: Mohd Irshad Alam
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