Arakan News Updates: Government Investigation Team Arrived Baggona Yesterday

M.S. Anwar 

RB News 

February 20, 2013 

Maung Daw, Arakan- Around 9AM yesterday, the government investigation team set up for the violence in Arakan arrived in the village of Baggona, Maung Daw. The team was said to have divided into five groups and investigated the respective people from the village. But the disturbing were Police, SB2 (Special Brach 2), SaSaSa (Bureau of Special Investigation) and SaRaPha (Security Affairs-Military) accompanying the investigation team. 

“They arrived in the village and divided into five groups. Then, they met and investigated the respective people. According to the villagers, the team treated and carried out question and answer sessions nicely. The villagers were comfortable in dealing with the team. The villagers were able to explain the common misconceptions about Rohingyas and the root causes of the violence. The villagers also said to the team that they still want to live peacefully with Rakhine community. The investigation team is said to have liked the villagers’ honest responses. And they left at 1PM. 

However, Police, SB2, SaSaSa and SaRaPha were disturbing and threatening the villagers so as to prevent them from meeting the investigation team. Therefore, the villagers had to go to meet the team with great courage and return with the help of the team. After the team had left, Police compiled the profiles of Rohingya villagers who met and talked with the investigation team. Now, the villagers are living in fear of being arrested by the Barbaric Police” said an Elder from a nearby village. 

It is to remind you that except for SaRaPha, all other departments of authority mentioned above are made up of mostly Rakhine extremists who have been behind the violence against Rohingyas. On one hand, the government asks Rohingya people to meet the investigation team. And on the other hand, they try by all means to prevent Rohinyas from meeting the team.