5 Rohingya Brothers Arrested On False Accusations, 1 Killed While In Custody

RB News 

September 12, 2013

Maungdaw, Arakan – According to locals, about 10 police officers robbed a Rohingya house Ngan Chaung village on the night of September 9th. The robbery was committed by the police, however the authorities arrested 5 Rohingya brothers for the crime. One brother was killed by police while in custody.

A large group of officers and other authorities went to Bura Shiddar Para and questioned the U Shin Gya village administrator and 5 Rohingya brothers. The authorities included: 

The Maungdaw district police chief, The township police chief, Hlun Htaine battalion (2) commandant, Lt. Police Colonel of Areas 4, 5, and 6, The military commandant, Kyain Chaung police force, Kyain Chaing Special Branch police, Military Special Security (SaRaPha), Nga Ku Ra village administrator Zaw Win Aung, Chan Pyin village administrator Pho Chay, Ba Chit from Myo Thit village. 

The names and ages of the five brothers are: 

(1) Mohammed Amin (25-years-old), 

(2) Shaw Muluk (32-years-old), 

(3) Nur Hashim (30-years-old) 

(4) Mohammed Hashim (28-years-old) 

(5) Mohammed Salim (18-years-old). 

As the five brothers were innocent, the military commandant released them after questioning. However, Nga Ku Ra and Chan Pyin villages administrators and Ba Chit from Myo Thit village wasn't satisfied with the decision of military commandant. They asked the others to arrest them. Finally the five brothers were arrested and brought to Kyain Chaung police outpost. They were pressured to admit that they robbed the house of Akbar in Ngan Chaung village. As the police tortured them one, Mohammed Amin died inside the lock-up. Time of death was 1 am on that day. Instantly the police sent the corpse to Maungdaw hospital. 

The village administrator U Shin Gya was on his way to Maungdaw to see the township administrator while the police was sending the corpse to the hospital. U Shin Gya administrator got the news and went to see the corpse there. He asked the township administrator to handover the corpse to the family. After that the township administrator asked the district police chief to handover the corpse. The district police chief flatly denied giving up the corpse to the family.

The person who was tortured to death by police, Mohammed Amin is a rich businessman in U Shin Gya village. Moreover, he has been helping the authorities in the region for long time. A villager said Nga Ku Ra village administrator Zaw Win Aung, Chan Pyin village administrator Pho Chay and Ba Chit from Myo Thit hated him for having money. That’s the reason they went through the trouble to create a conspiracy against him. 

Reportedly, Zaw Win Aung, Pho Chay and Ba Chit were instigators of 2012 June violence in Maungdaw and they are also somehow connecting to Rakhine rebels based in Bangladesh-Myanmar border. And they always are causing trouble for Rohingyas by collaborating with the local police. 

At the end, the police chief didn’t return the corpse to the family. Today they buried him at the cemetery in Quarter 2 of Nga Ku Ra village tract. The police planned to avoid Islamic funeral prayer before the burial. However the relatives of dead person Mohammed Amin were watching from outside of the cemetery and they begged the police not to bury without prayer. The police eventually brought a religious cleric in and allowed the funeral prayer to happen. The police did not however, allow any family members to enter the cemetery. The family members could see only from outside as their loved one was laid to rest.