Report by Maung Thein Zaw, Sallam Oic Group | Written by M.S. Anwar
November 21, 2013
Kyauktaw, Arakan: Three innocent Rohingyas in Kyauktaw township were alleged of raping and killing a minor Rakhine girl and subsequently arrested on 18th November 2013. However, the actual criminal who had committed the crime was a Rakhine from the village of Kya-Nyo-Pin of the same township.
The detailed account of the case and an interview with a Rohingya in Kyauktaw are mentioned below.
Ma Mimi Nge (Age 6) Raped and Killed by a cruel Rakhine extremist. Extremist Monks are taking advantage of her unfortunate death and spreading propaganda to incite violence against Muslims. (Photo: FB of an Extremist Monk, U Nya Na)
“At around 9PM on 18th November 2013, Shwe San Aung (Age 29) (from the village of Kya-Nyo-Pin of the Kyauktaw township) luredMa Mimi Nge (Age 6), fourth daughter of U Shwe Aung (father) and Daw Moe Moe San (father), and took her to the farm-landoutside thevillage. There, he raped and killed her.
Next morning, her worried parents went out to look for her since shedidn’t come back home the whole night. And they found her dead body at the said farm-land at around 6AM on 19th November 2013.
Therefore, her parents lodged complaints to the nearby “Ap-Pauk-Wa” Police Station. Police and Security Force from the station together with Military under battalion 536 in charge of the security of Kya-Nyo-Pin village checked over the dead body. Then, around 3PM on 19th November 2013, they arrested three innocent Rohingyas(unrelated to the crime at all) from nearby Rohingya village of “Hai-Fara” and took them to the military camp.
There, the military let around 20 Rakhine extremists beat up the three Rohingyas inhumanely. Then, the military took them to an unspecified place and have kept them incommunicado. Hence, nothing has been heard of them since then. We don’t know whether they are alive or dead” said a worried Rohingya of Hai-Fara village.
“The arrested Rohingyas are:
1) Abdul Ghaffar (son of) Khala Chand (Age 61)
2) Jamal Hussain (son of) Abdul Hoque (Age 25)
3) Hafiz Ahmed (son of) Faris Ahmed (age 30)
We feel that it is another conspiracy to trigger yet another round of violence against us. It is similar to the conspired rape case of a Rakhine girl in Kyauknimaw in May 2012. And some extremist faction of Monks are circulating her pictures and spreading propaganda as if she was actually raped and killed by the Rohingyas” he added.
Note: This is a version of the story told by a Rohingya in Kyauktaw. We don’t have any exclusive evidence that the rape and killing was committed by the mentioned Rakhine man.
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An Interview with a Local Rohingya in Kyauktaw (i.e. an Eyewitness to the case) by Soe Thu Moe on 20th November 2013 as is as follow:
Soe: Could you please tell me in detail briefly about a 6 years girl who was killed on 18th November 2013?
Eyewitness: 18th night at 2:30AM Rakhine after their Bon Katin festivals, they started talking about the girl, security came to our village and called me I went with Ward Administrator, checked around the village,there was no sign of any murderer. Later they found thrown the girl in paddy field near river,it seemed that they pre planned the whole event systematically, thrown there and blamed us.
Soe: OK, how far is it from your village to the place where they found dead body of the girl?
Eyewitness: 100 yards, between Rakhine and Muslim village.
Soe: How far in mile?
Eyewitness: One mile far
Soe: 1 mile far, OK, they threw her there, right?
Eyewitness: Yes, they threw her there and went
Soe: Is there any festival in Rakhine village?
Eyewitness: There is always festival there, they watch video and enjoy.
Soe: Was the girl, 6 years old, found dead?
Eyewitness: Yes, she was found as dead.
Soe: Al right, Could you please tell, 3 Muslims who were arrested; Abul Gafur, Hafiz Ahmad, Jamal Husein, do you know why were they arrested? There are many people in the village, why did they arrested them, how was the relationship with that case
Eyewitness: Their houses are edge of the village, closer to the place.
Soe: OK, among those three, there is an old man, more than 60 years old, two are young, why did they arrested those 3 Muslims, are thoseof one family?
Eyewitness: As their houses are on the edge of the village, they have contact with some good Rakhines who bring vegetables and necessarythings for us, we can’t go anywhere to buy things, and we are starving, we survive here because of those people, they have good relationship with some good Rakhine who bring things to us for sale.
Soe: According to you, you are living in a prison like village, can’t go and buy anything, those 3 Muslims help buying things for you from Rakhine, and are that true?
Eyewitness: Yes, Yes.
Soe: You can’t buy anything they help you accompanied by Rakhine, is that true?
Eyewitness: Yes, Yes.
Soe: How many family members does the old man, Abdul Gafur have?
Eyewitness: 8
Soe: Oh Allah! OK, has Jamal Husein married?
Eyewitness: Yes, married
Soe: What about Hafiz Ahmad ?
Eyewitness: Also married
Soe: How many children does Jamal Husein, son of Abdu Rahman, have who is 38 years old?
Eyewitness: 7 children.
Soe: What about Hafiz Ahmad?
Eyewitness: 5 children
Soe: As you said those 3 are helping you as they have goodrelationship with Rakhine, buying necessary things for you, right?
Eyewitness: Yes, sir
Soe: Were they arrested from their houses?
Eyewitness: They were arrested in the morning 8AM from their houses to the Rakhine village, and we couldn’t see them from that time, theywere being tortured brutally.
Soe: Hello, tell, please tell, if phone line cut up I will call you again. Where are they now?Eyewitness: They are now in the temporary security station, still they are being tortured.
Soe: Are those police who are torturing them in the temporary station Rakhine or Burmese.
Eyewitness: There is no Bamar here, all are Rakhine, they have been torturing us a lot, now we have no strength to be patient
Soe: Is there anyone among the Muslims who could go there and appeal for them?
Eyewitness: We are not allowed to approach there.
Soe: They accused those 3 Muslims who help you for survival through Rakhine, right?
Eyewitness: They are forced to admit, torturing to say they did,they may not survive because of torturing.
Soe: Is there any way to appeal for them, in the police station how can they survive, can they be released?
Eyewitness: Ask me , I will explain.
Soe: Is there any possible way that they can be released?
Eyewitness: You are talking about release, they are under torture, no way to survive.
Soe: Could you please tell about Muslims in Kyauktaw, population and situation?
Eyewitness: Muslims are in critical condition, all are in their own village starving, we can’t go anywhere, only in the village.
Soe: So, you can’t go out anywhere, right?
Eyewitness: Yes, yesterday, all Muslims gentlemen from Rohingya Ywa (Rohingya village) were called in the school, and checked ourprivate parts.
Soe: Who called them?
Eyewitness: 360 men’s private parts were uncovered and checked inRohingya village.
Soe: Who called them, police?
Eyewitness: Police and military checked,uncovered their longyi andchecked their private parts.
Soe: Were they called to school, which school?
Eyewitness: Madrasa, brought us to our village Madrasa and checked.
Soe: Was it happened yesterday?
Eyewitness: 360 Muslims were brought to the Madrasa and uncovered our longyi and checked our private parts
Soe: Why did they see? Why?
Eyewitness: They accused us that we raped a 5 years old girl, and checked all our private parts.
Soe: Are there 300 Muslims men?
Eyewitness: We are 363 Muslims men here.
Soe: Were those three arrested first or after checking all, they chose those 3 from you after checked.
Eyewitness: Those 3 Muslims were arrested and took away first, later they came and checked us.
Soe: I understand now. You cannot go anywhere, can’t do like before, right?
Eyewitness: We have no way to survive, if you can please take away all Muslims of Kyauktaw to your place and save us.
Soe: You are in prison like village now, can you buy food and things easily there, or not.Eyewitness: We can’t buy anything, can’t go anywhere from the village.
Soe: Can you go from village to another?
Eyewitness: Can’t, only to the river nearby village for fishing.
Soe: How many villages are there?
Eyewitness: From yesterday, they are not allowed us to go river even.
Soe: So you are not allowed fishing then?
Eyewitness: Yes, we are not allowed to fish.
Soe: How many Muslim villages are like you?
Eyewitness: 5 villages
Soe: Are all the same like you.
Eyewitness: ……….. voice is not clear
Soe: Are all Muslims villages the same?
Eyewitness: We were provided 1 tan rice(measure basket for grains, equal to 120 tins) per month
Soe: Who provided rice, UN, NGO or Government?
Eyewitness: Rakhine, Rakhine provided rice, all Rakhine
Soe: Will those 3 Muslims be killed by them.
Eyewitness: Torturing made them half dead now.
Soe: Where are their families now?
Eyewitness: All their money were confiscated by them(police)
Soe: What did they do with their families?
Eyewitness: They came to my house and crying a lot , we can’t stoptheir crying .
Soe: I understand. Who really killed that girl, do you know anything about her?Eyewitness: That’s their plan………..
Soe: hello, hello.. Who really killed that girl, do you know anything about her?
Eyewitness: Rakhine killed that girl,
Soe: Rakhine killed her and accused you, right?
Eyewitness: Yes, Yes, Sir, They killed her thrown near our village.
Soe: So, they killed and thrown there, right?
Eyewitness: Yes, Yes, they killed and accused us.
Soe: Do you have anything to share with us, this message will be listened the whole World.
Eyewitness: We are in critical condition, we are starving now, we have no way to survive, we are in very difficult situation now, we can’t go from one place to another. It will be better if you could call us there.
Soe: Is there anything to say?
Eyewitness: I would like to request the World as well as all Muslim countries to save us. Oh my fathers and brothers of the World, for the sake of God, save us, take us away from here, we are in diresituation, we appreciate you.
Interview by Soe Thu Moe and Translated into English by Aung Aung.
The original interview can be listened here:
Follow on twitter: Soe Thu Moe @Sthumoe
Aung Aung @aungaungsittwe
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