EU Diplomats Meet Rohingyas In Duchiradan; Reported More Than 100 Killed

RB News 

January 30, 2014

Maungdaw, Arakan – European Union countries diplomats based in Yangon went to Duchiradan village in Maungdaw township of Arakan state today. The delegation met with local residents at the middle hamlet of Duchiradan at 10:30 am. 

In the meeting, No. (4) police battalions superintendent police brigadier general Tin Ko Ko explained to the delegation that the group consisted of eight people led by police sergeant Aung Kyaw Thein from Kaye Myaing outpost came to Duchiradan for normal patrolling. The group was Aung Kyaw Thein, 3 police and four heads of households. They were holding 1 M22 gun and 3 rifles. About 500 Rohingyas in the village surrounded them so Aung Kyaw Thein and three police fired onto air to disperse the crowd. According to a villager told RB News, one of the delegation members told that the explanation by police chief Tin Ko Ko is sounding like joke as nobody got injured when they shot. 

More than 50 Rohingya women met with delegation and they explained about how the innocent eight Rohingyas were killed by Duchiradan village administrator Aung Zan Phyu in mass killings on January 13th midnight and January 14th early morning by police and Rakhine extremists. They told the delegation that more than 100 Rohingyas were shot dead and hacked into pieces. They added that all the dead bodies were taken away by authorities and their personal belongings and properties were looted by police and Rakhine extremists. 

A resident from Aley Than Kyaw village said a family from his village was taken by police and was told what to report to EU diplomat delegation. However it is not clear whether they reported the false news taught by police.

Kaye Myaing Rakhine hamlet and hamlets in Duchiradan are not under the same village tract. Police sergeant Aung Kyaw Thein has no responsibility to patrol Duchiradan. In fact he and the group including Duchiradan village chief Aung Zan Phyu came to Duchiradan to arrest the villagers who witnessed the mass grave of eight innocent Rohingyas. The hamlets in Duchiradan are under supervision of police outpost in Kin Chaung. They are only responsible to patrol Duchiradan village. As they came during curfew time it is impossible that the villagers were roaming in the village. The villagers came out from the houses when police had raped a young Rohingya girl. 

Many local residents in Maungdaw said the photos showed in the press conference held in Yangon on January 28th and circulating on social media by Deputy Information minister Ye Htut and presidential office director Hmuu Zaw (alias) Zaw Htay were not true and those planted by the government. 

The EU diplomats were not allowed to visit Duchiradan west hamlet where set fire on Tuesday night by police. 

The delegation met with local officials and village administrators. About ten elders of the community in total who are puppets of authorities at Maungdaw district administration office.