A Rohingya girl stands outside her home in Maungdaw. ( photo 2011 )
Maungdaw, Arakan State: A group of Natala villagers have been checking drinking water ponds in Rohingya villages in Maungdaw south, northern Arakan, recently, said a businessman from Aley Than Kyaw.
“In the group – seven persons with long swords, axe and etc.”
The group have been going to every Rohingya villages to see the ponds and take some samples of mud from inside the ponds – the villagers use for drinking water- while villagers went to the spot to see what they were doing, the group stopped their work quickly, a village elder said from Maungdaw south.
“The Natala groups are going on at Udaung village, Khonza Bill village and other villages of Maungdaw south. The Rohingya villagers also informed to the concern security force – Nasaka – about the situation, but the Nasaka didn’t do anything against them.”
“Villagers believe that they (Natala) can provide poison in the ponds,” said a local schoolteacher.
Last year, some unknown Rakhines community put poison into the ponds in Buthidaung Township. So, villagers are fear of using water from ponds right now because it will affect the people, said an elder.
Natala villagers are very notorious in characters that were brought to Arakan north to settle them in Arakan by the government to harass the local Rohingya people and to increase the Buddhist community in the area. Most of them are murderers, heroine addicted people and who were sentenced to long term jail.
It is not concern to the Natala villagers to check the ponds of Rohingya villagers. There have concerned authorities to do that, if it is required. It is necessary to inform to the local authorities. Why are they doing like that? Villagers believe that it is nothing but to create another problem between Rohingya and Rakhine villagers, said a Rohingya leader from the locality.
“Why does the local Nasaka authority (Burma’s border security force) let them to do that?,” said a Rohingya youth from Maungdaw south.
Source KPN:
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