Update News from Maung Daw, Arakan (02-09-2012)

“At 4:00 AM yesterday, a joint group of different departments raided the Sky View Guest House. It is the Guest House which was mostly reserved by the police officer where he used to take the arrested Rohingyas to extort ransom money. Those Rohingyas who could not give the ransom money were tortured severely. The joint operation caught him with the millions of money extorted from innocent Rohingyas. In the raid, some Rohingyas were found detained in the guesthouse. These were Rohingyas who were unable to give the ransom amount of money the police officer demanded. 

We wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to the media who spread the news about the officer’s brutal acts. We would like to thank all the people who worked hard to make the news about his barbaric behavior reach to all the concerned quarters such as international human rights workers and president Thein Sein etc. We also plead the President to carry out the same kind of operations against the remaining cruel police officers who have been committing equal number of crimes against Rohingyas though not more. We would like to ask the home ministry how the same police officers are able to take charge of a place, Maung Daw, without any transfers for more than a decade” said a Rohingya from Maung Daw on the condition of anonymity. 

Besides, Dr. Nurul Haque, a Rohingya medical doctor from Maung Daw, has been sentenced to three-year-imprisonment for the possession of Bangladesh Phone SIM card. He was arrested soon after the violence against Rohingyas erupted in Arakan. It is to let everyone know that almost all Rakhines, Police Officers and others are using Bangladesh Cell Phone Lines. Rather, in many border areas, people use the phone network the neighboring countries as to their comfort ability. If the using of the phone network of the nearby countries is illegal, the law should be applied to all regardless of race and religion. Therefore, imprisoning only him for the possession of a SIM card is unjustified and illogical while Rakhines and police officers are continuing their use of the same SIM cards of the same phone lines. 

Moreover, there were many Rohingya scholars arrested in Maung Daw in 2008 and later time and sentenced to many years’ imprisonments with false cases. They are still serving imprisonments in different prisons in Arakan. Consequently, Rohingyas, today, hardly have any medical doctors and scholars. Therefore, Rohingyas from Maung Daw appeal the President to pardon and release Dr. Nurul Haque and all other Rohingya scholars.