The bodies lost during the unrest in Rathaydaung Gudaung were recovered

Arakan Times

Local sources confirmed that 8 bodies of Gudaung villagers that were lost in the violence in Rathaydaung Gudaung were found at 4 am. Another body lost in the June 19th violence between Bengali Muslims of Pyaisait Village and local Arakanse from Gudaung Village was found at 3 am.

These 9 bodies of Gudaung villagers were returned to local Arakanese from Bengali Muslims by the request of 30 Buddhist monks, Township Administrator and Army to be buried according to Buddhist culture and Arakanese/Burmese traditions. One of the Gudaung villagers said:

"Bengali Muslims of Pyaisait Village initially responded that they didn't kill the villagers of Gudaung, so we didn't have the bodies of them. So, Buddhist monks, Township Governor along with army personnel requested and demanded together with the eye-witnesses of Gudaung Village that those bodies would be buried in accord with Buddhist culture and Arakanese/ Burmese traditions need to be returned to us, saying that the villagers of your village, Pyaisait would not be harmed. Only when they returned 8 bodies of Gudaung villagers at 4 am."

A villager of Gudaung reported that 8 bodies were chopped into pieces and packed into plastic bags by the Bengali Muslims. The bags were then buried in the middle of the houses in their village of Pyaisait. The remains of U Phru Chay, a Gudaung villager, was burned by the Muslims. The villager added:

"When we carefully examined the pieces of the bodies packed with plastic bags that were returned to us by the Bengali Muslims this morning, the pieces of bodies' parts have become 8 bodies of our villagers. When we asked them where another body is, then they replied that we don't know. Only at 3 pm today, U Phru Chay body was ablaze by them would be returned to us, then we went to take the bones of U Phru Chay's remain. The people of the Arakanese villages are waiting in the cemetery, as the bodies of 9 villagers of Gudaung are arrived to be buried together."

The body of School Principal, U Thein Han, was found on June 19, the same day of unrest. One of the remaining 10 people escaped from being killed by the Bengali Muslims.