Arakan News Update: Rohingyas living in Fear

Maungdaw: On 3rd of December 2012, a 10 years old girl named Salima daughter of Noor Zafar and Zainab Bibi from Nwar Yong Taung village tract, Yan Mya Taung (Kwan Sharabil) village, Maungdaw went missing while she was grazing her family cattle on nearby pasture. The pasture is not very far from Zin Paing Nyar village tract, Thay Chaung (Fote Khali) hamlet’s Na-Sa-Ka camp. As she didn’t come back home in that evening, parents and local Rohingyas were worried and searched for her in the surrounding areas. Later the parents were informed by an eyewitness that she was taken into the Na-Sa-Ka camp at around 5:30pm. The parents didn’t dare to go and ask at the Na-Sa-Ka camp as the security personnel always harass local Rohingyas. The next morning, the girl’s dead body was found in the nearby paddy field. The post-mortem revealed that she was inhumanly raped. 

Minbya: Lives of Rohingyas from Minbya Township, Rakhine States are under constant fear not only from the local racist Rakhines but also from the security personnel (Na-Sa-Ka). 

Minbya is a township that located 178 kilometer east of Sittwe, the capital of violence torn Rakhine State, western Burma. About 50 Rohingya families have been living there in Fowtti Fara (Laydaung Nayra), their ancestral village. They are living as fishermen supplying fish to the village tract’s population. On 5th of December the commander of the battalion No. 371, Captain Han Zaw came to the village early in the morning and seized all the fishing tools, nets and all the instruments from houses. The fishing boats were also seized. The villagers were taken to the battalion camp and severely tortured the whole day. Later in that evening, they were allowed to go back home except 5 persons who received additional harsh punishment due to their outspokenness and released them in late night. The captain warned the Rohingyas not to engage in any agricultural and fishing activities and even not to go out from their homes. He further threatened them that they will be shot dead if they don’t obey his order. This is eventually paralyzing the livelihood of the villagers and their freedom of movement. 

The Rohingyas’ lives were seriously traumatized by the violence that took place in early June in Rakhine State. In October in this small Minbya fishing village alone, many Rohingya houses were burnt down and 5 Rohingya were brutally killed by Rakhine mob. 

In addition to that the current restrictions on livelihood, freedom of movement and lack of daily life security, the Rohingyas are forced to live under the increasing threat of arbitrary arrest, torture, starvation, malnutrition, lack of medical aids and etc. The place is isolated from other townships and due to the poor transportation; their cries are not reached to the international media. The poor villagers have no other choice, just simply counting their last days in fear.