Companies Built Bases on Rohingya Land After They Fled Myanmar Security Forces: UN Report
- Arakan Now
- Sep 29
- 2 min read
Arakan Now | 29 September 2025
A new report from the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM) has revealed how Rohingya homes, farms, mosques, and other properties were destroyed and seized in 2017, identifying Myanmar security forces, corporations, and other actors involved in repurposing the land. In many cases, Border Guard Police (BGP) bases were constructed over former villages, erasing traces of the community's long-standing presence in northern Rakhine State.
The report, titled “The Destruction and Dispossession of Rohingya Land and Property during the 2017 Clearance Operations – Public Summary”, was released ahead of the High-Level Conference on the Situation of Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 30 September. The conference aims to draw international attention to the plight of over one million Rohingya who remain forcibly displaced.
Nicholas Koumjian, Head of the Mechanism, emphasized the importance of restitution for a sustainable return:
“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. Efforts must be made to ensure sufficient restitution or assistance is given to allow Rohingya to rebuild their communities.”
The report focuses on seven village tracts in northern Rakhine State, documenting extensive destruction based on witness testimony, geospatial imagery, video evidence, and official records. In Myo Thu Gyi village tract, for example, over 800 homes, shops, markets, and mosques were destroyed, and more than 411 acres of land were razed by 2018 to make way for a sprawling BGP base.
The Mechanism’s findings implicate multiple actors in the expropriation and redevelopment of Rohingya land. These include the Ministry of Home Affairs, which financed and directed the expansion of BGP facilities; the BGP, which directly occupied the seized lands; and companies such as Asia World Company, which carried out the construction of bases, roads, and outposts.
This public summary is drawn from a more detailed confidential report that contains the identities of individuals and corporations potentially responsible for these crimes. The Mechanism aims for the report to support national and international investigations and facilitate reparations for Rohingya victims.
