GENEVA

A new report released Monday by the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) detailed the destruction and seizure of Rohingya homes, farms, mosques and other property during the 2017 clearance operations, and identified Myanmar security units, corporations and others involved in repurposing the land.

The report, The Destruction and Dispossession of Rohingya Land and Property during the 2017 Clearance Operations – Public Summary, was published ahead of a high-level conference on the situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar to be held at the UN in New York on Tuesday.

"There is widespread agreement in the international community that Rohingya must be allowed to return home to Myanmar once conditions exist that allow for their safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable repatriation. However, in many cases, their homes, even their villages, no longer exist," said Nicholas Koumjian, the head of the mechanism.

"For their return to be dignified and sustainable, efforts must be made to ensure sufficient restitution or assistance is given to allow Rohingya to rebuild their communities," he added.

Drawing on witness accounts, geospatial imagery, video footage and official records, the report examined seven village tracts in northern Rakhine State. In each case, after the Rohingya fled violence in 2017, their homes were destroyed and Border Guard Police (BGP) bases were built on the seized land.

In Myo Thu Gyi, evidence showed more than 800 homes, shops, markets and mosques existed before the violence. By 2018, more than 411 acres (166 hectares) were burned and flattened, and a sprawling BGP base was constructed in their place.

According to the report, beneficiaries of the destruction included the Home Ministry, which financed the expansion of BGP facilities, and corporations such as Asia World Company, which built bases, roads and outposts.