No safety for Rohingyas in Arakan State

January 1, 2013
Kaladanpress
Maungdaw, Arakan State: There is no safety for the Rohingya community in Arakan State, Burma because Rakhine community and concerned authorities are harassing- arrest, killing, extortion, rape, looting – continuously the Rohingyas, said a village administration officer on condition of anonymity.

“Since occurring clashes in June 2012, hundreds of Rohingya Muslims were killed by the Rakhines and Burma’s security forces. But, thousands of Rohingyas had already been displaced from their own villages as well as many Rohingyas have been languishing in different jails in Arakan state.”
Village administration officer also said that hundreds of Rohingya youths (over 10 years) had left their motherland to seek better opportunity because of no security of their lives in Arakan. Many Rohingya youths had already died in the sea during the risky traveling to Malaysia and also many Rohingyas have been languishing in different jails such as— Bangladesh, India, Thailand— and etc.

An elder from Aley Than Kyaw village said that Burma’s security forces including Rakhines are arresting and extorting money from the Rohingya community with fabricated and false cases such as— holding Bangladeshi mobile phones, involvement in recent violence, involving in drug smuggling, involvement in human trafficking, cutting wood from the forest, border- cross and etc.

“We can’t understand the law of present Burma’s authority. We are human being. We are being kept in a big cage like birds. How many days, we will be living in such discrimination and human right abuses in our motherland?”

On December 29, an old man named Habib Ullah (65), son of Moggul Ahmed of Khonzabil, of Nasaka area No, 7 of Maungdaw south was severely beaten up by a group of Rakhines in nearby mountain. He went to mountain to look his crops while 12 Rakhine youths from Sommona Natala village went there and tortured him without giving any reason. Later, he was brought to his home by some villagers. Now, he is being taken private treatment in his village, said a village trader.