Myanmar's military burned down at least 1,500 houses belonging to the Rohingya minority in conflict-torn Rakhine State, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said today.

"Satellite imagery and eyewitness interviews clearly point the finger at the military for setting these buildings ablaze," Brad Adams, Asia director at HRW said in a statement released in Yangon.

Adams said the fires all took place in zones where the military conducted security operations and that the pattern suggested government responsibility.

According to HRW, new satellite imagery showed "systematic building destruction in villages on three occasions after government forces reportedly came under attack in the area, suggesting a reprisal element to the arson."

It is the third time in a month that HRW warned of arson being used in the conflict zone.

The government previously claimed that people in the area burned their own homes in order to trigger international aid.

Rakhine was locked down by the military in October after two border posts were attacked, leaving nine police officers dead. The government blamed Muslim groups with ties to overseas terrorists for the violence.

Rakhine is one of Myanmar's poorest states and has been beset by interfaith violence between Buddhists and Muslims since a 2012 outbreak between the two groups left hundreds dead and more than 100,000 people displaced.

State Counsellor and Nobel peace prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi is facing increasing international pressure to resolve the humanitarian crisis.

- dpa