Global News

The government of Myanmar on Friday authorized the use of helicopters in combat by the country’s military in war-torn Rakhine state, at the same time cautioning the army to conduct its operations “with great care” to avoid civilian deaths.

Speaking at a press conference held in the capital Naypyidaw, Zaw Htay, director general of the Office of the President, said that the country’s leaders have directed the military to “conduct effective counterinsurgency operations” against the ethnic Arakan Army in Rakhine.

“The president’s office has instructed the office of the military chief to use all necessary force, including the use of helicopters,” Zaw Htay said.

Instructions given previously with regard to military operations in Rakhine still apply, though, Zaw Htay said.

“First, these must be conducted in accordance with the law. Secondly, the military must avoid human rights violations. And thirdly, the operations must be carried out with great care,” he said.

On April 3, Myanmar’s military used helicopters to prevent armed Arakan separatists from launching an offensive, killing six Rohingya Muslim civilians who the army later claimed had been working with the Arakan Army (AA).

Hostilities between the government army and the AA, which is battling Myanmar forces in several Rakhine townships for greater autonomy in the state, reignited in December 2018 and exploded in early January after AA soldiers carried out deadly attacks on police outposts in northern Rakhine.

In response to the attacks, the Myanmar government branded the AA a terrorist organization and instructed its forces to crush it.

Myanmar’s ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) government is now trying to secure a bilateral cease-fire agreement with the AA and allied armed groups in order to halt the fighting and achieve peace through dialogue, Zaw Htun said.

A meeting has been agreed in principle, but a location for the talks remains unsettled, and the government is pushing to make the meeting happen this month, he said.

Source: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/helicopter-06072019164143.html