Caught on Camera, Myanmar Police Torture Muslim Rohingya

NAYPYIDAW - Myanmar has detained several police over a video that appears to show officers beating members of the Muslim Rohingya minority during a security operation. The government said the incident, filmed by a police officer, happened in restive Rakhine state in November.

The office of Myanmar's de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi named four officers who took part in the operation. They include Zaw Myo Htike, who can be seen smoking as he films the video.

"Those who (were) initially identified were detained. Further investigations are being carried out to expose other police officers who beat villagers in the operation," Suu Kyi's office said in a statement.

There have been repeated allegations of abuses against the minority in Rakhine since a military counter-insurgency campaign was launched there in October.

Some have even said the state's actions amount to ethnic cleansing, and Suu Kyi, a Nobel laureate, has faced international criticism.

The admission that security forces may have carried out abuses is an unusual development, as Burmese leaders have previously insisted they are following the rule of law.

Rakhine state is closed to journalists and investigators, making it difficult to independently verify the allegations.

The government said the footage was filmed in November as police conducted a "clearance operation" in Maungdaw after two police officers were shot, one fatally.

The video shows a large group of villagers sitting in lines in front of police officers. One officer can be seen beating a man, while another kicks him in the face. Other men are then also kicked or hit.

The State Counsellor's Office Information Committee said action would be taken against officers who violated police force rules.