Rohingyas in Pauk Taw Facing Starvation and Threats to their Lives

M.S. Anwar
RB News
October 5, 2012

Rohingyas in Pauk Taw Facing Starvation and Threats to their Lives 
Pauk Taw, Arakan - On 4th October 2012 night, Rakhine extremists and Police (made up of Rakhines) raided the houses of Rohingyas in Ywa Haung, Pauk Taw Township and confiscated their household knives, rods and telephones. Similar case had happened in Sittwe before the beginning of the violence against Rohingyas there. Rakhine Police and Extremists seized household knives and rods etc giving many excuses. The small Rohingya minority in Pauk Taw fear whether doing so to them are the preliminary steps to begin a fresh attack against them.

Indeed, the small minority in the region have been oppressed through various means by the authorities and Rakhine extremists. As a matter of fact, four Rohingyas were killed by Rakhine extremists led by RNDP members at Quarter 3 in Pauktaw Tsp. Besides, Ngat Wa Chaung, a Rohingya village in Pauk Taw Tsp, was burnt down and about 50 Rohingyas were killed in cold blood in the recent violence.

By the same token, of about 300 displaced Rohingyas (from Pauk Taw) who took refuge in Thekkay Pyin Refugee Camps in Sittwe, about 60 Rohingyas died due to malnutrition and starvation. More 300 displaced Rohingyas taken refuge in a partially destroyed in Pauk Taw mysteriously disappeared now. Nothing had been known about them since their disappearances. Rohingyas are living in fear and worried of their future due to different propaganda being carried out against them by Rakhine extremists in recent days, whearas they are facing great starvation” said Nyi Nyi Aung, a Rohingya activist.

Financial Blocks to Rohingyas in MinBya

MinBya, Arakan- Myanmar Agricultural Bank in MinBya Township has stopped giving out agricultural loans to Rohingyas in the area. Besides, the bank refused to give back the savings of Rohingya farmers in the banks, too.

“The Bank Manager U Thar Aye, a strong supporter of Rakhine National Development Party (RNDP), said upon the requests of Rohingya farmers that Bank officials would go to their villages and disburse the loans to the farmers. But no official from the bank has gone to Rohingyas’ villages to give out the loans. Besides, Rohingyas are unable to withdraw their savings from the bank” said a Rohingya on phone from MinBya.

Myanmar government provides an amount of Kyat 50,000 loans and Kyat 10,000 loans for the monsoon agriculture (such as Paddy crops) and other seasonal crops respectively to the farmers through the agricultural banks in Myanmar. The interest rate of the loan is 1.25% a month. The farmers need to settle the old loans before taking out a new one. Like others, Rohingya farmers in MinBya had received the loans till February 2012.

Even though Rohingya farmers have settled their old loans, the new loans are not given out to them. Sadly, they can’t go the main branch of the bank situated in the downtown of MinBya for the fear of being attacked by Rakhine extremists. For the worse, Rohingyas farmers are unable to get back their 7-year savings in the banks. As a result, they are struggling to survive and having great difficulty in their agriculture of paddy crops which their life-line. And Rohingya farmers are afraid of going to their farms because many farmers are being inhumanely killed by Rakhine extremists in Pauk Taw and MinBya.

Bristish Ambassador Left Maung Daw Yesterday

Maung Daw, Arakan- British Ambassador to Burma, Mr. Andrew Heyn, has successfully finished his observation trip to Maung Daw. He has visited many violence hit Rohingya and Rakhine villages and interviewed many of them.

A local Rohingya from Maung Daw said “he, Mr. Andrew Heyn, has visited the villages such as Baggona, Nurualla, Rammawady near to Alay Than Kyaw, Tharay Kunbaung, Quarter 2 and Thaung Painya in Maung Daw. He has successfully met up Rohingyas in the villages mentioned except Tharay Kunbaung where he faced NaSaKa’s interruptions and disturbances.

He listened to the tragedies of Rohingyas in Baggona and Nurualla with patience where even raped Rohingya women came forward to tell him how they are inhumanely treated. His trip to Maung Daw started on 5th October 2012 and ended on 6th October 2012. But we don’t know how his trip to Rakhine villages proceeded. And we are immensely thankful to him and British government for caring about our sufferings. We hope they will do their best for us.”