Analysis of satellite imagery reveals new destruction of Rohingya Muslims' villages during October and November 2017 in northern Rakhine State in Burma, Human Rights Watch said on Monday.

Human Rights Watch identified 40 Muslim villages with building destruction occurring in October and November, increasing the total to 354 villages that have been partially or completely destroyed since August 25, 2017. During this period, thousands more Rohingya refugees fled Burma and arrived in Bangladesh.

"The Burmese army’s destruction of Rohingya villages within days of signing a refugee repatriation agreement with Bangladesh shows that commitments to safe returns were just a public relations stunt," said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. "The satellite imagery shows what the Burmese army denies: that Rohingya villages continue to be destroyed. Burmese government pledges to ensure the safety of returning Rohingya cannot be taken seriously."

The number of civilians who died cannot be fully identified because the buddhist Myanmar administration did not allow entry to and exit from the area. Thousands of Arakanese Muslims are still trying to flee away from the region because of their safety.

ILKHA