Maungdaw Authority: Will Shoot If You Report The Truth

RB News 

January 22, 2014 

Maungdaw, Arakan – Rakhine State Chief Minister Hla Maung Tin, Ministers San Shwe Maung and Kyaw Thein, State government information committee Secretary Win Myaing, Sittwe based UNOCHA in-charge, State parliament members Dr. Bashir Ahmed and Aung Myo Min, State police chief, No. (4) police battalions administration office chief police brigadier-general Tin Ko Ko, Maungdaw UNHCR chief, and officials from district and township departments all arrived at the primary school in Gawduthara village in Maungdaw township today at 3:30 pm and met with 40 Rohingyas from Gawduthara village. 

The following questions and answers were made between state government officials and 40 Rohingyas from Gawduthara village during the meeting. 

Question: Do you think the problem here is related to the killing of 8 people by Duchiradan administrator Aung Zan Phyu? 

Answer: Yes. It is true that Aung Zan Phyu killed 8 people. That’s why we presume the problem occurred here. 

Question: Did you see Aung Zan Phyu killed 8 people? 

Answer: We cannot enter to Kaye Myaing Natala Rakhine village. There will be eyewitness. We hear that. 

Question: Is it true that the security forces and Rakhines shot Duchiradan villagers, looted the properties, and killed men, women and children? 

Answer: The security forces and Rakhines robbed our buffaloes, cows, goats, chickens, rice, paddy and even doors of the houses. It is true that the security forces shot us and the Rakhines killed the people with sticks and swords. On the day of incident, once at midnight 12 am and once at early morning 4 am, the security forced fired like raining (shooting indiscriminately and without pause). We don’t know who is dead and who is alive. We will know once we all can gather again in the village. After firing twice like raining, we were scared and escaped from the village. 

Question: Do you know anything relating to the police sergeant who was killed and his gun that has been missing? 

Answer: Yes. We heard that but we didn’t see. 

Chief Minister Hla Maung Tin told us before leaving from the meeting that the villagers will be able to live in peace if the villagers informed them where the police sergeant and his gun are. Although 40 Rohingyas urged the Chief Minister about the case of holding 490 Rohingyas from Duchiradan in a school in Gawduthara and other houses under police custody, the chief minister pretended as if he didn’t hear what 40 Rohingyas urged. 

The local authorities selected 40 Rohingyas from Gawduthara before the delegation of chief minister arrived and didn’t allow any Rohingya from Duchiradan to participate in the meeting. Then the authorities threatened these 40 Rohingyas from Gawduthara that they will be shot dead if the truths prevail from them to chief minister. 

Even the local authorities presented the 40 Rohingyas as if they were from Duchiradan. The 40 Rohingyas from Gawduthara pretended as if they were from Duchiradan for fear of for their lives and answered all questions according to the information they obtained from Duchiradan villagers. At the end, though, the 40 Rohingyas admitted to the chief minister that they are from Gawduthara village. 

At 4:30 pm the chief minister and delegation went into Duchiradan with cars but they didn’t check any house and shop. They entered from one side of the village and left from the other side without further investigation. 

The locals said an inquiry commission that involves international organizations must be formed to investigate the truths because this government will never reveal the truths of what happened there.