Military Extort Money from Rohingyas for Defending Properties

By Sindhi Khan

1st April 2014

Maungdaw, Arakan- A Myanmar military battalion commander is squeezing money from the villagers of Thit-Taw-Nar-Kwa-Sun and Razar Bill (Nan-Ra-Raing) in region 2, northern Maungdaw, for saving a home belongs to a Rohingya from getting torched by a group of extremist Buddhists.

“Around 8:00PM on 28th March 2014, a Mro Buddhist group sneaked into the eastern part of the village of Thit-Taw-Nar-Kwa-Sun in Region 2, northern Maungdaw. Then, they tried to torch a home belongs to Shahkhit Ali (son of) Amir Nur Mohammed (Age 32). As he shouted out for help, his co-villagers and the people from the nearby village, Razar Bill (Nan-Ra-Raing), came together for rescue and drove the Mro Buddhists group away.

Upon that, G.E. group (Military Engineers), responsible for constructing roads along the border, informed the nearby Military Battalion. Around 100 military personnel arrived at the village soon only to scold Rohingya villagers and confiscate their sticks.

Next morning (i.e. 29th March 2014 morning), around 10AM, the commander of the battalion summoned the villagers of Thit-Taw-Nar-Kwa-Sun and Razar Bill (Nan-Ra-Raing) to the camp. There, he arrested and detained Shahkhit Ali, whose house was about to be torched, and 9 other Rohingyas from these villages saying “the way you people behaved last night was too much.”

The village administrators of Thit-Taw-Nar-Kwa-Sun, U Nurul Islam, and that of Razar Bill (Nan-Ra-Raing), U Sayedul Amin, pleaded the battalion commander in order to get the detained innocent Rohingyas released. However, the commander demanded a guarantee to pay Kyat 1.4 Millions for their releases from the village administrators. The people were released together with a threat that they (the people) would get arrested again and imprisoned if the villagers failed to fulfill his demand of Kyat 1.4 Million.

Therefore, Shahkhit Ali (son of) Amir Nur Mohammed has now to pay Kyat 100,000 and his co-villagers have to pay Kyat 800,000. And the people from the nearby village have to pay Kyat 500,000″ said a villager.

“This is the price we have to pay for defending our properties and lives. This is a norm here. This is what they call justice” he exclaimed.

Amnesty International's T. Kumar to Speak at the Islamic Society of North America's Convention

Amnesty International's T. Kumar to Speak at the Islamic Society of North America's Convention Advocacy Director T. Kumar to Speak on Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar (Burma) Contact: Carolyn Lang, clang@aiusa.org, 202-675-8759 /EINPresswire.com/ (Washington, D.C.) -- Amnesty International Advocacy Director T. Kumar will address the Islamic Society of North America's 49th Annual Convention "One Nation Under God: Striving for the Common Good," in regards to the minority community of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar (Burma) on Saturday, September 1, at 11:30 am at the Washington DC Convention Center.

Iran Ready to Dispatch Medical Teams to Myanmar

TEHRAN (FNA)- Head of the Basij Organization of Iran's Medical Society Mohammad Rayeeszadeh voiced the society's readiness to dispatch medics, nurses and relief and rescue forces to help Myanmar's Muslims who are under the daily attacks of the majority in the Southeast Asian country. "The Basij (volunteer) organization of the Medical Society is prepared to dispatch emergency teams of physicians, nurses and rescue workers to Myanmar," Rayeeszadeh told FNA on Saturday.

2,600 tonnes of aid delivered to Myanmar Muslims

Khalifa Foundation has distributed urgent aid totalling 5,200 tonnes Gulf News March 04, 2013 Burma: The Khalifa Bin Zayed Humanitarian Foundation (KZHF) has distributed another 2,600 tonnes of food aid to Myanmar Muslims, completing its third and last phase of the urgent aid totalling 5,200 tonnes of relief items among 850,000 beneficiaries. As per directives of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the assistance was purchased from the local markets of Myanmar in cooperation and coordination with the Embassy of Kuwait to be shipped by sea to “Rakhine (Arakan)” for distribution among the affectees there.

The Stateless Rohingya Blog

Search This Blog