Nine Women From Duchiradan Taking Refuge In Another Village Got Arrested

RB News 

January 26, 2014

Maungdaw, Arakan – Nine Rohingya Women from Duchiradan village who were taking refuge in another village got arrested last Thursday, the 23rd of this month. 

According to a local villager, they were taking refuge in Maung Tola Hamlet of Aley Than Kyaw village tract in Maungdaw township of Arakan state. They were taking refuge at the house of U Lal Miah. It is unknown of their arrival date to that house. The house owner is very afraid to release further information in regards to those nine women. 

The women were arrested by Hlun Htaine police. First the Hlun Htaine said they will release them if anyone would bribe them. Later they changed their mind and said that they will only release the women if the higher authorities instructed them.

A villager from nearby Duchiradan village said they were threatened that the villages would be burnt into ashes if anyone accepts Duchiradan villagers in other villages. As many as 80 women are under custody of Rakhines in Myawaddy, Kaye Myaing and some other Rakhine villages. Some Rohingyas working in those villages witnessed the arrest of those women. 

A Rohingya working at Mawrawaddy village saw eight Rohingya women a few days ago but later he found only six and said that the other two is believed to have been killed by Rakhine extremists. There were another eight Rohingya women in U-Daung Natala Rakhine village seen by some boys who were feeding their cows. 

Until now only a few Rohingya women and children returned to Duchiradan but they are afraid of possible attacks from surrounded Rakhine villages. It is unknown as of when all the villagers can return to Duchiradan. Sources from nearby villages say the death toll can be much higher than the rights group have been reporting.