Myanmar Military may Raid our Camps, Say Rohingya Refugees at "No Man's Land"

RB News

August 20, 2018

No Man's Land — Myanmar's military are planning to raid our camps tonight (19-20 August night) or tomorrow night (20-21 August night), said Rohingya Genocide Survivors taking refuge at "No Man's Land" between Myanmar and Bangladesh Border(s).

Lieutenant Colonel Nay Htay Aung, the Commander of the Myanmar military battalion camped at (the school of) Taung Pyo Letyar (Myanmar) is ordering his troops to raid the camps (located beyond Myanmar's Border), according to the refugees.

"We have got the information from the reliable sources. The Myanmar military could raid our camps (at No Man's Land) tonight. We are seeing that they are taking positions with heavy weapons. They are patrolling along the Border now. If not tonight, they could raid tomorrow night. We are really afraid of being terrorised by the brutal Myanmar military again" U Dil Mohammed, a refugee leader in the camps, expressed his deep fear.

U Arifullah, another refugee in the camps, said "if night falls, they threaten us in various ways by taking positions against us and by climbing mountains and acting as if they are about to shoot us. What we fear is they would kill us using force. Instead, they should fulfill our basic human rights demands and negotiate with us."

There were 6,000 Rohingya Genocide Survivors taking refuge at No Man's land since early September 2017; and out of them, 1,000 left the camps and entered Bangladesh camps as the Myanmar armed forces kept repeatedly threatening them and shooting at them from Myanmar side.

The Myanmar officials from the Capital Naypyidaw, under international pressures, have visited "No Man's Land" and tried to persuade them to go back to Myanmar. However, the survivors are adamant that they will not return to Myanmar unless their demands for native and ethnic rights, protected return to protected homeland, restorations to their original villages (not into concentration camps built in Myanmar) and other basic human rights. 

On August 9, while Bangladesh Foreign Minister visiting Myanmar to hold talks with the Myanmar government regarding Rohingya's Return, the Bangladesh authorities also halted humanitarian aids to the Genocide Survivors (taking refuge at "No Man's Land)."

[Reported by Mohammed Salim; Edited by M.S. Anwar]

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