Police in Aley Than Kyaw fixed monthly extortion from Rohingya boat owners, Rakhines don't have to pay

RB News
August 6, 2013

Maungdaw, Arakan – Police based in Aley Than Kyaw, in the Maungdaw Township of Arakan State, fixed a monthly extortion amount from Rohingya boat owners. This is the result of a meeting that took place at the old office of Nasaka on August 2, 2013 at 12 pm. 

There are three types of boats in Aley Than Kyaw and most of them belong to Rohingyas. There are fishing boats, fish buying boats and ordinary boats without engines. 

There are 108 Fishing boats in the region. The owners now need to pay 2 gallons of petrol or 10,000 kyat monthly and 500 kyat daily. The owners of the 54 fish buying boats are a charged a bit more, at 5 gallons petrol or 25,000 kyat monthly and 500 kyat daily. There are about 300 ordinary boats without engines. The fixed amount for these owners are 5,000 kyat monthly and 500 kyat daily. All boat owners must pay the above amounts to the police officer without failure. 

Although there are 4 fishing boats owned by Rakhines, the police officer said in the meeting that they do not need to pay. 

Such extortion is illegal according to the existing laws in Myanmar, but as laws do not protect the Rohingyas in Arakan, the boat owners must pay to run their business to survive. A villager told RB News that they have no choice but to pay whatever amount demanded by the authorities.