NEW satellite photos of Myanmar’s Rakhine state show that the government is carrying out a vast operation to bulldoze villages torched by government soldiers and Buddhist extremists.

Human rights activists said that by destroying the remains of the villages, Myanmar was covering up widespread atrocities against the country’s Rohingya Muslim population.

Images released to the Associated Press yesterday by US-based DigitalGlobe show that dozens of empty villages and hamlets have been completely levelled by authorities in recent weeks — far more than previously reported.