Myanmar villagers in Rakhine risk running out food amid military siege

Residents said the village of Kyauk Tan in Rathedaung township had been completely sealed off and food supplies were dangerously low, AFP reported on Monday.

They said the shortages stemmed from the army's "bullying" tactics. The residents also called for assistance from the international community.

On April 30, security forces stormed the village, picking out 275 men for interrogation at the local school. Two days later, the troops admitted killing six detainees and injuring eight more, claiming the men tried to attack and disarm them.

Military spokesman Brigadier General Zaw Min Tun confirmed 48 more detainees were released Monday, which would leave about 80 people still held at the school.

Than Han Than, 22, one of the newly-released people said, "They warned us there would be harsh repercussions if we travelled to other villages." Than May Khin's husband, Khin Maung Htay, was one of the men shot dead last week.

The latest killings followed the deaths in April of three other ethnic Rakhine men in army custody.

Rakhine has been the scene of violence since 2012. The Myanmar military and Buddhist mobs have killed thousands of Rohingya Muslims. Some 800,000 others have fled to neighboring Bangladesh, living in camps in dire conditions.