Arakan News Updates: Oppression and Persecution of Rohingyas at its Worst

Maung Daw, Arakan - NaSaKa (Border Security Forces) of NaSaKa Area No. 8 arrested six innocent Rohingyas from Shridda Fara of Merrullah (Myint Hlut) Village Tract on 6th January 2013. NaSaKa acted so upon the commandment of Major Aung Ko Thant, the commander of NaSaKa area No. 8. The allegation against these innocent Rohingyas is that they are persuading the villagers not to participate in the ongoing (malicious) NaSaka operation against the Rohingya population in Arakan. 

The details of the arrested Rohingyas are: 

1. Irshadullah S/o Zafar Ahmed 40-Year-Old 
2. Syed Islam S/o Nazir Hussein 45-Year-Old 
3. Hussein Ahmed S/o Jalal 35-year-Old 
4. Mohammed Yusuf S/o Jalal 33-Year-Old 
5. Kamal Hussein S/o Shakir Ahmed 42-Year-Old 
6. Shah Meah S/o Kabir Ahmed 45-Year-Old 

In fact, the NaSaKa operation today is meant to permanently cripple Rohingya community by branding them illegal invading Bengalis. Therefore, the villagers are not participating in such operations on their own wills. And lame allegations were made to arrest these elders and figureheads of the village. Now, they are charged with a case of Rebellion against the State according to a local Rohingya from Maung Daw Tsp preferring not to be named. 

The NaSaKa was formed by the dictator ex-general Khin Nyunt just with the purpose of driving Rohingyas out of Arakan through the means of persecution and oppression. Since its formation in 1993, the similar operations have been carried twice a year and all the times, Rohingyas have only been forced to leave their mother land. Yet, they are shamelessly saying that people from Bangladesh are still coming in. By saying so, they are dishonest not only to International Community but also to themselves. 

As of today, “Eight Military personnel together with the newly appointed Administrator of Baggona Village, stationed at Kantaya-Aley Then Kyaw Road junction, are arresting and torturing all the Rohingya Passers-by and looting whatever they have and extorting money from them. The Military are from the camp stationed at the village of Kantaya under the commandment of Major Ye Win Aung of Ka-Ye-Myaing Camp in Southern Maung Daw. And Ba Tuan Aung is a Bengali Rakhine extremist who settled in Kantaya village in 1970s. 

On top of that, 15 Military from the same Kaye-Myaing camp under Major Ye Win Aung surrounded the house of Syed Alam S/o Iqbal Ahmed in the Nurullah village of Baggona village tract at 10AM today. Then, they looted jewelries, money and vandalized all other properties that they could not carry away. This is all happening under the radar of Major Ye Win Aung. He is responsible for this. In fact, only looting and torturing Rohingyas are on his mind these days” said a Rohingya elder from southern Maung Daw. 

Elsewhere, on 7th January 2013 night, an ordinary NaSaKa officer together with his other six companions arrested Hala Meah s/o Abdu Shukkur hails from Rida Aung Sit Pyin (Dom Bhai) village tract of northern Kyein Chaung (Boli Bazar) village tract. Though he was handcuffed and intimidated into extortion, no other physical torture was reported. However after 12 hours of detention, he was extricated extorting 300,000 Kyats. The mere reason for extorting such amount money is that his 22-year-old son fled to India to escape the violence against Rohingyas taking place. The NaSaKas were from regional sub-camp no-24 in Kyein Chaung (Boli Bazar). Nowadays, Burmese Authority causes troubles to Rohingyas for not only leaving Arakan but also living in Arakan. 

.. "Now we can't sleep at night for the fear of being arrested by NaSaKas because every night they (NaSaKas) go rampage through the surrounding villages (Boli Bazar, Dom Bai ...ect) from the said camp-24. Then, they make raids on targeted Rohingya houses and carry out brutal persecutions, hefty money extortion and mass arrests of poor-spirited Rohingyas (without having convicted of any crime ever)" said a scholar from Aung Sit Pyin (Dom Bhai) on the condition of anonymity. 

Actually, the denial of the citizenship, legal existence, other basic rights and arbitrary arrests including constant NaSaKa extortion and the raid and rampage through the Rohingya villages in northern Rakhine State are underlying reasons behind the exodus of thousands of Rohingyas. But on the contrary, the government not only shuts down their ways to return home and confiscates their possessions but also extorts money from their remaining family members or relatives. To really see how the Burmese government treats the Rohingyas, one does not have to look further than this case of 22-year-old Rohingya.