Doe-Dan Bazaar In Northern Maungdaw Torched During Curfew Time

RB News 

March 26, 2014

Maungdaw, Arakan – On the early morning of March 26, the bazaar in Doe-Dan village tract of northern Maungdaw Township in Arakan state was torched and seven shops were burnt down to ashes.

Today early morning at 3:40 am the fire started from the roof of the shop of Mamed Rashid at Doe-Dan bazaar in Doe-Dan village tract of northern Maungdaw Township. The villagers came to know about the fire immediately and they managed to extinguish the fire at 4:20 pm. The fire saw seven shops burnt down to ashes, according to locals.

Four Rakhines from Nga Ku Ra village passed from the Doe-Dan village by riding motorbikes 20 minutes before starting the fire, according to eyewitnesses. Doe-Dan village tract and Rakhine Natala village is just a half mile away and the Rakhine village is located at the east side of Rohingya village. The Rohingya villagers said that the fire wasn’t an accidental one as it started from the roof and it was during curfew time. 

The list of the owners of the shops that were lost in the fire are: 

(1) Mamed Rashid S/o Mamed Hussein (Food Stuff Shop) From Sin Taung hamlet 

(2) Taher S/o Mamed Shafi (Food Stuff Shop) From Sin Taung hamlet 

(3) Eliyas S/o Nabi Hussein (Food Stuff Shop) From Sin Taung hamlet 

(4) Husson S/o Abdul Rahman (Food Stuff Shop) From Sin Taung hamlet 

(5) Mamed Zubair S/o Dil Mamed (Food Stuff Shop) From Sin Taung hamlet 

(6) Halil Ahmed S/o Abdul Mazaid (Food Stuff Shop) From Sin Taung hamlet 

(7) Halil Ahmed S/o Abudl Mazaid (Snack Shop) From Sin Taung hamlet

As Rakhines have been entering the Rohingya villages during curfew time, the Rohingya Village Administrators raised the issue at the meeting with Township Administrator. The meeting took place in Maungdaw Township administration office on March 16th. The Township Administrator Kyi San responded them saying that Rakhines are looking for frogs at night. So there is no reason to arrest them. The curfew enacted in Maungdaw district is just for the Rohingyas and does not apply to Rakhine Buddhists. The Rakhines can move anywhere freely during curfew time. 

On March 24th, the police officer from police outpost based at Nga Ku Ra village warned that the Rohingya villagers who are guarding the villages at night are not to use battery torches as it made the guards unable to verify who are moving around. 

Yesterday, on March 25th the fire started in Myaw Chaung village tract at the house of the ten house-holds leader named Mamed Alam. The fire started the same way as in other places, from the roof. The villagers could extinguish this fire immediately and the just the roof of the house and another house’s fence were damaged. 

Additional reporting by Sindi Khan.

(Photos: Doe-Dan Bazaar)