A Rohingya Woman Going To Malaysia Sold By Human Traffickers In Maungdaw

RB News 

April 17, 2014

Maungdaw, Arakan – A Rohingya woman going to Malaysia by boat from Kyi Gan Pyin village in Maungdaw Township of Arakan state was sold to a human trafficking gang in Malaysia by the human traffickers in Maungdaw, while she is in Maungdaw.

On April 11th as the Rohingya woman namely Yasmin D/o U Hassaun from Kyi Gan Pyin village in Maungdaw Township was trying to go Malaysia by boat, her brother-in-law Salim Ullah S/o Abu Sofian contacted with the brokers Dilar and Rafique from Kyauk Hlay Gar village. Then the two brokers took her and handed over to another four brokers from Tha Yat Oak village who are representatives of the local authorities. The four brokers are: 

(1) Zafar S/o Martoo (Tha Yat Oak village administrator) 

(2) Salim Ullah S/o Salamat Ullah 

(3) Mardullah S/o Salamat Ullah 

(4) Mardullah S/o Lalu

Later the Rohingya woman’s father U Hassaun came to know that his daughter was fleeing to Malaysia in search of a better life. As he didn’t agree to let his daughter go, he asked the brokers to return his daughter and he told the brokers that he won’t demand the cost of the boat, Kyat 120,000. The brokers responded him that they can’t return her as the authorities do not allow them to so. 

Then the father of the woman investigated why the brokers didn’t return his daughter. He learned that his daughter was sold to the human trafficking gang led by Shaker based in Malaysia for 800,000 kyats. He was unable to stop the brokers and became helpless. His daughter and others who were fleeing to Malaysia left from Maungdaw on April 14th by small boats owned by Shah Alam S/o Harsu Miah and Mohammed Alam S/o Sayed Ullah to Bengal Bay where the ship is waiting to carry the people. Reportedly the ship came from the Bay of Bengal and will depart today, April 17th.

The Rohingyas who left for Malaysia on April 14th had to pay 120,000 Kyat each and the local authorities took 25,000 Kyat per person. The remainder would be divided to the boat owners, ship owner and brokers. 

As the Myanmar government’s policy is to cleanse the Rohingya ethnic group from Myanmar, sending people to Malaysia by boats on risky journey is also one of their tactics to wipe out the Rohingyas from Myanmar. The human trafficking business is based in Maungdaw Township and is lead by local authorities. Mostly the boats are leaving from Myint Hlut and Aley Than Kyaw villages. The local authorities recruited some local Rohingyas who have other business relations with them. They are organizing the people and earning shares. 

The ship from Thailand always waits nearby St. Martin Island in Bangladesh and the human trafficker gang led by the local authorities sends the people to the ship by small boats from the villages. 

As the victims of persecution became again the victims of human smugglers, Myanmar, Thailand and Malaysia authorities must arrest the human trafficking gangs in the respective countries, the local Rohingyas in Maungdaw told RB News.

MYARF contributed in reporting.