Young Rohingya Man Brutally Murdered near Pauktaw

RB News 

February 1, 2017 

Pauktaw, Arakan - A young Rohingya man, from Kyein Ni Pyin IDP camp, Pauktaw Township, Rakhine State was brutally murdered while returning home from a nearby village. 

On the 31st of January, at 6 AM three displaced Rohingya men (Abdul Rahman son of Abdul Loti, age 25, Noor Mohammed son of Noor Ahmed, age 27 and Abdul Khalek son of Ali Ahmed, age 30) from Kyein Ni Pyin IDP camp went out to purchase prawns and fish in Anauk Ywai village. The men had to cross a mountain to make this journey. At 10 AM Abdul Rahman separated from the group to use the toilet and was found brutally murdered 30 minutes later. 

The other two men fortunately escaped unharmed. “In the early morning we bought prawns and fish from Anauk Ywai village and were coming back across the mountain at 10 AM. On our way Abdul Rahman told us he had to go to toilet and we were waiting for him about 40 yards away. We waited about half an hour and our minds started to worry. At the time he called us. We heard he says “Hello” twice, then heard nothing else. We went to look for him and we found him lying down and severely injured. He was dead,” said one of the men who escaped the scene. 

“Last year a young Rohingya man was also killed nearby the same mountain by Rakhine villagers from Sin Aing Rakhine village. Likewise this could be by their hands,” he added. 

The men then returned to the camp and informed the camp’s leader who then informed the police. The head of police from Station Number 12, Kyaw Myint Aung, then went out with the police to gather the body of Abdul Rahman from the mountain. 

By 2 PM the body of Abdul Rahman was taken to Pauktaw Hospital and an autopsy was performed. At 8 PM his body was returned and buried in a cemetery in Kyein Ni Pyin. 

“This was a murder that occurred due to a disagreement between traders. It would never be by the hands of Rakhine people. If you accuse the Rakhine it will make tensions worse,” the police in-charge, Kyaw Myint Aung warned the villagers. 

The Rohingya people in Pauktaw Township have been living peacefully with Rakhine for many years but since October 2012 Rakhine extremist groups and the Government’s Armed Forces have attacked many times. These attacks have resulted in the deaths of 5 Rohingya villagers and thirteen village tracts have been burnt down, including Ward-3, Ward-4, Chaung Ywa, Limba Deya, Cha Ate Ywa, Ngar Chaung Ywa, Zawgyi Ywa, Don Ywa, Kan Pyin Ywa Haung, Kan Pyin Ywa Thit, Suli Parang, Min Thar Pur, Kyein Ni Pyin. 

More than 30,000 Rohingya villagers from these villages are now homeless and displaced, with thousands having fled to Sittwe where they now live in the camps for Internally Displaced People. 

Among the remaining 25,351 displaced persons: 7,702 people of the 1,584 households from Ngar Chaung Ywa, Limba Deya, Zawzi Ywa, Don Ywa and Cha Ate Ywa are living in Ngar Chaung IDP camp, 5430 people of the1,212 households from Kan Pyin Ywa Thit, Kan Pyin Ywa Haung, Suli Parang, Min Thar Pur, Kyein Ni Pyin are living in Kyein Ni Pyin IDP camp and 4,517 people of the 1174 households from Ward-3, Ward-4 and Chaung Ywa are living in Anauk Ywal camp. 

Pauktaw is a poorly developed township where 75% of inhabitants are impoverished. There is no road-way for cars and residents have to cross the mountains and open land to travel from one village to another. People living in Kyein Ni Pyin camp have to routinely cross the mountains in order to buy prawns and fish from Anauk Shwai Rohingya IDP camp and Sin Thet Maw Rakhine Village. 

Saed Arkani contributed reporting.