(BANGKOK, January 23, 2025)—On January 23, 2025, hours after Fortify Rights published a news release analyzing two leaked videos showing Arakan Army (AA) soldiers involved in what appeared to be an execution of two detainees, AA spokesperson Khaing Thuka acknowledged the authenticity of the videos, condemned the killings. He went on to that those responsible had been identified and punished. He confirmed to Myanmar news media that the two victims were captured Myanmar military junta soldiers and that the incident occurred during an army operation against the junta’s Military Operations Command 9 in Kyauktaw Township, Rakhine State on February 7, 2024.
When asked about Fortify Rights’s report on the incident, Khaing Thuka suggested the executions were acts of revenge, telling BBC Burmese: “When they captured Myanmar military soldiers who had unlawfully arrested, tortured, and executed their own family members, some of our local resistance fighters could not control their anger and acted in this manner as an act of revenge, violating military discipline.”
Speaking with Narinjara News, he said: “This incident is completely against our policies. We do not condone such unlawful acts. Anyone who committed such offenses has been and will be punished. We will take the best measures to prevent such incidents from happening again while continuing our fight.”