Myanmar Mechanism report identifies entities benefitting from destruction and dispossession of Rohingya land and property in 2017

Geneva, 29 September 2025 – A report published today by the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar details the destruction and seizure of Rohingya homes, farms, mosques and other property in 2017, and identifies Myanmar security forces units, corporations and others involved in repurposing the land to erase all traces of the Rohingya’s long presence, including by constructing Border Guard Police (BGP) bases.

The report entitled “The Destruction and Dispossession of Rohingya Land and Property during the 2017 Clearance Operations – Public Summary” is published ahead of the High-level Conference on the Situation of Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar to be held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 30 September. The conference aims to focus international attention and seek solutions to the situation of the over one million Rohingya who have been forcibly displaced from Rakhine State, Myanmar.

“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, 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.”

Based on first-hand accounts of witnesses, geospatial imagery, video footage and extensive official records and documentation, the report focuses on seven village tracts in northern Rakhine State. In each of these emblematic cases, after Rohingya residents fled the violence against them in 2017, their homes and properties were destroyed by the Myanmar military, and a BGP base was constructed over the lands they once inhabited.

For example, in Myo Thu Gyi village tract many Rohingya families could trace their land possession back through generations, and evidence shows more than 800 homes, shops, markets and mosques existed before the 2017 violence. The Mechanism has collected evidence showing that by 2018, over 411 acres of land were burned and flattened, and that a sprawling BGP base was constructed where Rohingya villages previously existed.

The report states that a number of entities benefited from the razing of Rohingya villages and construction of BGP bases, including the Ministry of Home Affairs who financed and directed the expansion of BGP facilities; the BGP who directly occupied seized Rohingya lands; and Asia World Company and other corporations who carried out the physical construction of bases, roads, and security outposts.

The report published today is a public summary of an in-depth confidential report that the Mechanism is prepared to share with competent national and international authorities. The full report, which the Mechanism hopes will facilitate investigations or reparations for crimes in Myanmar, contains witness and source information and identifies specific companies and individuals who may be responsible for the crimes.

The Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar (IIMM or Mechanism) was created by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2018 to collect and analyse evidence of the most serious international crimes and other violations of international law committed in Myanmar since 2011. It aims to facilitate justice and accountability by preserving and organizing this evidence and preparing analysis that can be used by authorities to prosecute individuals in national, regional and international courts.

This report was prepared using the Mechanism’s innovative digital tools and workflows, which allow investigative teams across different units to securely manage evidence and connect information quickly and accurately. For more information visit https://iimm.un.org/ or contact iimm@un.org