Evening star., 1942-07-25
Civil War Breaks Out
Between Mos|ems and
Pro.Jap Burmese
Thousands of Persons
Killed and Hundreds
Of Villages Burned

kiIle0 ono nunoreoS
Of Villages Burned
BY w. S. MUNDY.
War Correspondent Of The Star and North
American Newspaper Alliance.
SOMEWHERE IN BURMA, July
10 tBy Wireless, Delayed Civil
war has broken out in Arakan
Province in Burma between the pro-
British community of 400 900 Mos
lens and Burmese adherents Of the
Japanese.
Fighting in this war. which the
world knew nothing about. included
o five-day battle for the Thakin
nationalist. pro-Jap Burmese
stronghold Of Buthidaung, and since
1t began three weeks ago thousands
of men, women and children have
been killed, towns have been cap
tured and hundreds Of villages have
been burned.
Now the Moslems, who have
formed their own war council and
raised their own armed forces, not
only are threat to the japanese
hold on Akyab, but their war is GER
tain greatly to strengthen the SYM
pathy for the Allies throughout the
Islamic world
The Japanese are so perturbed
about this civil strife that they sent
emissaries to the Moslems at Maung-
daw. promising them self-govern-
ment and other concessions in the
area they have won if they lay down
their arms. But Omra Meah.
austere 30-year- school teacher,
who is president of the council
elected by a parliament made up OF
village elders, sent the japanese
emissaries away and their offers
were rejected.
Bare Footed Army.
succeeded in penetrating by hill
tracks and jungle paths along the
rivers and through unending rain
and mud into this new buffer state
whose bare footed army in uniforms
Of pink shirts and blue shorts-there
was enough khaki to make uniforms
for only the highest ofiicers-is still
skirmishing with Jap mercenaries
around Akyab.
Omra Meah told me that Japs and
Thakin hooligans in the Akyab dis
trict began to play hell and havoc"
with the Moslems and their property
as soon as the British had with
drawn. The civil administration, in
cluding police, had left Rakan last
March 80. BY May l, was told, at
least 1000 Moslems had been mas
sacred by Thakins. The Japs' jackal
allies had looted seven towns,
burned many villages. slaughtered
the inhabitants and were pressing
on toward Maungdaw when the
Moslems seized the town and on
May Is formed a war council to hit
back at their enemies.
They named Nur Ahmed Ba
Failed, bearded head clerk at the
District Court. as their general, and
with Is rifles and supply of bamboo
sticks he began training his army Of
800 men, while the council recruited
a police force and extended its con-
troll over the Moslems of Northern
ArAkan.
Meanwhile, 100 Japanese led Tha-
kins, who had fought for the Japa-
nese with the Burmese Quisling
army, and 1000 other traitors. who
had joined them, had established
themselves at Buthidaung, where
they were ravaging the countryside
and leaving paths OF death and de-
struction.
Wide Variety Of Weapons.
On June is the Moslems decided
there was no alternative but to give
battle. That night. while excited
mobs milled in narrow streets, the
Moslem War Council issued its proc
lamation Of war.
The following morning Nur
Ahmed, carrying one OF the Moslem
Army's two tommy guns under his
arm, led his force OF 800 soldiers, 80
policemen and 5000 volunteers out
Of Maungdaw. The Moslems' arms
included swords, spears, lathis, bows
and arrows, with few rifles and
shotguns. They knew the enemy
had more rifles and light 25-bore
machine guns given them by the
Japanese. But the Moslems, with
the blood Of Arab adventurers thick
In their veins, quickened their pace
as they saw the smoke Of burning
villages. .,.
At Letwaidet they surprised mob
Of Thakins burning a village. Again
they heard the story they had al
ready heard many times before-the
story OF 'unarmed men being put to
the sword. their women raped and
their children drowned or inciner-
ated as they crouched fear-stricken
In their burning homes.
A few hours later they saw the
main force Of the Thakins on an
other hill mile away. The Moslems
raced down to meet the enemy. The
battle lasted five days. mainly be-
cause the Thakins had a machine
gun mounted to command the ap-
proach to the town. which was pro-
tected from the rear by the broad
swift flowing Mayu River But the
Moslems got the machine gun In
the end when sharpshooters crawled
around it and fired on the Thakins
who manned it.
Machine Gun Turned on Foe.
With the machine gun the Mos.
lens sent the enemy fleeing ant
swept on into Buthidaung. Tit
victory cost the Moslems 10 men ant
the Thakins lost several hundred
dead and TOO of their women anc
children drowned when an over
loaded launch in which they were
being evacuated capsized.
Immediately after the occupation
Of Buthidaung. strong detach.
ment OF Moslems hurried on to The,
gan where it was reported that th'
Thakins were numbering Moslems II
surrounding villages. Thegan alst
was captured after heavy casualtie!
had been inflicted on the Burmes4
traitors.