Rohingya Villagers Strip Materials From Their Roofs After More Arson In Maungdaw

A Rohingya house in Sin Thay Pyin after stripping the materials from the roof

RB News 

March 20, 2014

Maungdaw, Arakan – Burning houses in Maungdaw Township of Arakan state is happening every day now. Today some houses were again torched systematically but the villagers managed to extinguish it very quickly. 

In the afternoon of March 20th, the fire started in Myaw Chaung (Mawrik Kaung) village. The Rohingya villagers managed to extinguish the fire very quickly and there was only little damage, according to locals. 

Another fire started at 12:30 pm in Laung Boak hamlet of Thet Kaing Nyar village tract. The fire started from the roof of the house belonging to Razibul Hoque S/o Rawzawk Ali (Age 36). Razibul Hoque wasn’t at home at that time. His wife and two children were sleeping but they could manage to leave before the house was completely burnt down in to ashes. According to locals, the fire wasn’t an accidental one but it was systematic torching. “Thet” Buddhist village is nearby them and they said the extremist group managed to get in through that village. 

At the same time, a fire started again in the village where a house and a madarasa burnt down on March 19th in Longdon village tract. However, the villagers managed to extinguish the fire and not much was damaged. 

As there is arson everywhere in Maungdaw everyday, the Rohingya villagers in Sin Thay Pyin are afraid that the remaining houses will be torched by the extremist group. So they removed the nipa plam and thatches from their roofs. 

“Our houses’ roofs are very dangerous now. They sprinkle the chemical powders and liquid over our house by using some remote controlled balloons. The fire blasts when it hits the required temperature. So now we removed the nipa plam and thatches from our roofs. We will know once they sprinkle the powder. Those will come in to our houses. We are in trouble under the sun. But we have no choice. On the other hand the government is accusing us that we are torching our own houses. Now everyone should know the truth. That’s the reason we removed them.” a villager told RB News.

MYARF & Rohingya Eye contributed in reporting.