Village Admins extort money from villagers in Maungdaw

By KPN News

December 10, 2013

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Village Administration officers of Pawet Chaung village tract of Maungdaw Township extorted money from villagers by giving them false promises to give marriage permission for their sons and daughters, said a local leader Hamid (not real name).

“Recently, Village Administration officers U Tun Tun Win and Kamal Hussain of Pawet Chaung village tract collected money from some villagers. On December 1, the village Admins extorted Kyat 70,000 from Boudi Alam (19), son of Abu, hailed from Powet Chaung village with the promise of giving marriage permission of his son.”

In addition, on December 3, the village Admins also collected Kyat 100,000 from the bridegroom Nurul Hague (25), son of Kala Meah and bride Senu Wara Begum (18), daughter of Mohamed Salam, hailed from Pawet Chaung Wra Thet village, according to a close relative of Kala Mea who denied to be named.

Besides, on December 7, they extorted another amount Kyat 50,000 from Araf Ullah (20), son of Nur Hashim, hailed from Thay Chaung village under Powet Chaung Village tract by saying to pride him marriage permission, an ex-schoolteacher from this village said.

The concerned authorities of the government are always trying to get money from the Rohingya community by this way or that way. When these kinds of persecutions will be stopped, we are waiting, and old man from the locality said.

Unacceptably, the government authorities are committing this kind of crimes. However, there is no action against the culprits taken by the concerned authorities to stop the arbitrary extortion from the villagers though they know about it very well, a local businessman said preferring not to be named.

“We would like to request the government of Burma to take action against these village Administration officers,” said a local leader Kholil (not real name).

Earlier, when the Nasaka (Burma’s border Security force) was present in Arakan State, the Rohingya community has to get marriage permission after submitting applications with huge money. But after dissolving the Nasaka, the government declared that Rohingya will get marriage permission from the village authority without bribing any money.

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