Summary of 1942 Bengal Massacres in Rakhine

 

In 1942, during World War II, northern Rakhine (then Sittwe District) was engulfed in devastating communal violence as the British retreated from Burma. As part of their withdrawal strategy, they armed local Bengali groups, referred to as V-Force or "Rajput Kalar soldiers," to serve as stay-behind forces. Lacking proper oversight, these armed units unleashed a wave of massacres and destruction targeting Rakhine and other indigenous communities, particularly in Maungdaw and Buthidaung Townships. The violence began with incidents like the killing of two village head brothers in Yet Chaung, Myebon Township, and rapidly escalated.

Entire Rakhine villages, such as Kutang in Rathedaung Township, were burned to the ground, with survivors either killed or forced to flee. In Maungdaw, 98–99 villages were completely destroyed and never rebuilt, while 115 others were unrecorded. In Buthidaung, 116 indigenous villages were obliterated, 66 were seized by Bengali settlers, and 47 new Bengali villages were established on depopulated lands. Notable atrocities included the burning of a monastery in Tat Toe Pyin, where 500 men, women, and children were killed, and the sinking of a motor vessel in Buthidaung, drowning approximately 400 townspeople. An estimated 40,000 Rakhine and indigenous people were killed, and 300–400 villages were destroyed, depopulated, or taken over by Bengali settlers.

Survivors faced harrowing escapes, with some crossing the Mayu range or the Naf River, only to be ambushed by armed Bengali groups in areas like Lat Wae Taik. Many ended up in refugee camps, such as in Dinajpur, across the border. A Japanese-led rescue mission later recovered 676 Rakhine women taken during the violence. The arrival of the Burma Independence Army (BIA) initially aimed to restore order but led to further tragedy when BIA troops disarmed local defenders and were themselves betrayed and killed during negotiations in Maungdaw.

The massacres left a lasting impact, reducing indigenous populations to just 2% in Maungdaw and 7% in Buthidaung today. The text also highlights a 1988 incident in Maungdaw, where planned Bengali attacks, marked by coordinated preparations like cutting telephone lines and gathering in large groups, echoed the 1942 violence but were quelled by security forces. The author stresses the importance of documenting these events to raise awareness and prevent future ethnic and religious violence in Rakhine State and Myanmar, warning that such tragedies could recur without acknowledgment of this history.

✍Written by Kyaw Zaw Oo

👉 “You can search for the original links below.”

https://x.com/ArakanBaynews/status/1956405939197866038

https://kzo.home.blog/2016/09/06/1942-massacre-on-rakhines-by-bengalis/