Cruelties Against Rohingya Families that Didn't Consent to Bengalizing Operation

Qutub Shah

RB News

January 29, 2013

(Edited by Anwar Arkani)

Maungdaw: Since last few months Myanmar government has been taking new approaches one after another to re-register the Rohingyas as “Bengalis”. Despite taking violent measures such as arrest, torture, abuse, cancelling property ownership, withdrawing family lists and temporary identity cards, etc., it seems that the government is not succeeding in implementing it due to lack of cooperation from the people.

As the operation does not move forward successfully with its core motives, the government has started taking cruel measures against those that do not comply with. On January 25, 2013, in Kuñúir Háli (Leik Ya) village, Maungdaw Township, the Nasaka Commander of Region 4, U Aung Myo Zaw Htay, has summoned 64 Rohingya families to the camp who denied to be registered as “Bengali illegal immigrants.” Upon arrival at the camp, the females were segregated and forced to run around the compound of the camp the whole day. And the males were tortured inhumanely. Even the elderly, pregnant, underage or disabled persons and nursing mothers were not excused.

In the evening, on condition of being present whenever summoned, they all were set free except Molvi Sayed Alam s/o Amir Hamza, 42, who was detained after being handcuffed by 6 Nasaka personnel. Also Molvi Hashim, the principal of Kuñúir Háli Islamic School, is reportedly delisted from the census falsely accusing that he organized the people not to cooperate with the operation.

In addition, these 64 families were excluded from participating in the current local census that is being conducted by Nasaka. Census is conducted twice a year.