Rohingyas In Ngukura Invited To Meeting Were Arrested And Two Killed While In Custody

RB News 

October 19, 2016

Maungdaw, Arakan – Eleven prominent Rohingyas from Ngakura village in Maungdaw Township were invited to attend a meeting by Myanmar Border Guard Police Battalion Commander based in Ngakura. They allegedly invited them to cooperate in the effort of finding attackers who attacked the BGP outposts on October 9th. These attendees were not allowed to go back home and arrested. Later two of them were killed while in custody. 

On October 18th, 2016 at 9am BGP battalion commander made phone calls to some prominent Rohingyas who were close to him. He asked them to cooperate with him in finding the attackers. Eleven Rohingyas who were invited joined the meeting as per the request of commander.

Eleven Rohingyas who joined the meeting are:

(1) Eisuf Ali s/o Mamu Rafique (65-year-old) 

(2) Anwar s/o Youshah (42-year-old) 

(3) Sadek Ahmed s/o Ayub (41-year-old) 

(4) Jinnah Khan s/o Nur Alam (40-year-old) 

(5) Shah Alam s/o Mamed Alam 

(6) Anwar s/o Islam 

(7) Anwar s/o Hussein Ahmed 

(8) Anwar s/o Fayas Ahmed 

(9) Abdu Zawbar s/o Ahmed Ali 

(10) Khin Maung Tun (alias) Siraz Uddin s/o Dildar Ahmed 

(11) Mustaq Ahmed s/o Zakir Ahmed

Today, October 19th, 2016, in the evening, BBC Burmese reported that among eleven arrestees, two died with Asthma and Blood pressure issues respectively. BBC Burmese news was referred by a police officer which can’t be true at all, according to locals.

Home Affairs Union Minister Lt. Gen Kyaw Swe told the media on October 17th, 2016 that they are not torturing any arrestees and ICRC can check at any time but the local residents in northern Maungdaw believe that many arrested are being killed. 58-year-old former Community Development Facilitator of UNHCR Maungdaw sub-office was tortured to death on October 18th, 2016. He had been arrested on October 14th, 2016, from Reeda hamlet of Aung Sit Pyin village tract. 

“On the other day district administrator instructed us to cooperate in finding the attackers. So these people cooperated with the BGP as instructed. They joined the meeting once they were called by the commander. But it is a complete injustice that they were arrested and accused as terrorists. I think the authorities will specially target innocent educated and the people who can afford the money and they will accuse them as terrorists. We can't question the authorities. Once questioned, get killed. Once we are in their hand we have to expect death. Here is no law at all.” a Rohingya expresses his sadness to RB News.

The eleven arrestees have very close ties with the authorities and they helped Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) during 2010 elections. 

Today, October 19th, at 1pm, a group of military came to the house of Kayfaiyath Ullah and Eisak and they dug a hole nearby as if they were searching but buried something. After 5 minutes of the group leaving from the place another military group came and dug out the hole straightly and took a weapon from the hole. The group made video recording of their movement and left.

Furthermore, today they arrested another five youths. They are four sons of Jinnah Khan and Siraz Uddin and one is younger brother of Siraz Uddin.

The name of the five arrestees are:

(1) Fawaz Khan s/o Jinnah Khan (19-year-old) 

(2) ----- s/o Jinnah Khan (17-year-old) 

(3) Abu s/o Siraz Uddin (20-year-old) 

(4) Achay s/o Siraz Uddin (18-year-old) 

(5) Sadek s/o Dildar Ahmed (28-year-old)

As the military is arresting innocent civilians in the pretext of a clearance operation, without any evidence and torturing to death is completely is opposite to what the state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi said. She said to do everything in accordance with the laws. 

“If we don’t meet them, they shoot. If we meet them, they arrest and kill. We have no place to escape. No one to help us. People are facing food shortage now. All women, children and elderly are very much afraid now as they are experiencing how the people are being killed. I think the government will carry mass killing like they did in 2012. They will label all terrorists whoever got arrested. They made announcement that many hundreds are involved in the attacks. They did that to arrest as many as they can. They have all handmade weapons with them. They will come to our house and put them in the hole. Then will dig out and make video recording. All is drama. People dare not to stay in the village once they enter. So they can make up anything as they wish. People lost faith. Even escaped from homes they can make up dig a hole, put a weapon, later dig out again found a weapon story. We don’t know to whom we count. Here in Maungdaw the rule of law is just less than zero percent.” a human rights activist told RB News.

Report contributed by MYARF.