Rohingya Youths Face Risk of Arrest for Speaking to UNSC Delegation
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| UNSC delegation arrive at Naypyidaw airport on April 30, 2018 to meet Suu Kyi [Photo: AFP] |
By Zarni Aung (MYARF)
RB News
May 2, 2018
May 2, 2018
Maungdaw --
Rohingya youths who spoke to the members of the UN Security Council Delegation are
now facing the risk of arrest by the Myanmar Military Intelligence Service,
sources say.
The UNSC delegation
members visited the ‘Refugee-Receiving Camps’ at 'Hla Phoe Kaung, Ngakura and Taung
Pyo' in Northern Maungdaw on Tuesday (May 1). They were not allowed to meet
with the Rohingya villagers there, it has been reported.
In afternoon, the
delegation visited the village of ‘Pantaw Pyin (Nol Boinna)’ -- which is now
the last standing Rohingya village in Southern Maungdaw and all other villages
to its South were burnt down by the Myanmar military and the Rakhine extremists
last year.
There, the
delegation spoke to Children, Youth and Women waiting in the last rows instead
of the Men prepared and placed in the front rows by the Government to speak to
the delegation.
The delegation
asked the children and youth "which ethnicity are you and who burned down
your homes?" Amidst the fear of being targeted due to the surveillance of
the Myanmar Security Forces, the youths dared to reply "Myanmar military
and Rakhine extremists burned down our homes. And our ethnicity is
Rohingya."
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| Aerial View of Burnt Rohingya Villages in Maungdaw [Photo: SS from video shared by @KarenPierceUN on Twitter] |
After that, the
delegation asked “what ID Cards are you holding now?" To which they
replied "our grand-parents and parents had three-fold cards also called
NRC (National Registration Card). The government has begun confiscating them
from us since 1992 which has now made us a people without any ID Cards."
And the
delegation asked "and so, why don't you accept NV Cards?" The youth
replied "because our forefathers had NRC like any other ethnic people in
Myanmar and we are their grand-children. We'll only accept Citizenship
Card."
And "how
about your movement (travelling around)" asked the delegation. The youth
replied "there is a BGP Check-post at the Entry Point of every village.
They harass and beat us. So, it's difficult to even go to the downtown
now."
The delegation
spoke to Rohingya women in the village and left afterwards.
"While the
children and the youth were interacting with the UNSC delegation, SaRaPha
(Myanmar’s Military Intelligence Service) shot video of them. After the
delegation had left the village, SaRaPha scolded the village administrator and
began to chase the youth that spoke to the delegation. They are now hiding and
could be arrested by the SaRaPha anytime," said a village man on the
condition of anonymity.
[Edited by M.S.
Anwar]
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