Two Rohingya women beaten during bogus house search

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Members of Burma’s border security force (Nasaka) forcibly entered a house from in the Litra (Kurkhali) village area of Maungdaw North on November 16, at midnight, said a schoolteacher who preferred not to be named.
The house belonged to a Monsur Alam who was away at his business during the incident, though his wife was home.
The Nasaka members, of whom there were three, did a thorough search of the house, claiming to be searching for an illegal mobile phone. They were accompanied by 4 local collaborators. While in the house, they broke into an iron box and took 125,000 kyats belonging to Alam and his wife.
Alam’s wife Fatema Khatun and his mother Roshida Begum were severely beaten for offering resistance. Fatema Khatun was nine months pregnant, said a relative of Monsur Alam.
The next day, Khatun went with her husband to the Kawar Bill Nasaka HQ.  They reported the incident to the duty officer but that officer declined to take immediate action. The couple returned home unsatisfied, said a local trader quoting Alam.
Subsequently, Alam was summoned by Area Commander Major Kyaw Aung to the Nasaka Office 4 for questioning but did not go for fear of arrest or harassment.
A local businessman complained, “Why did the Nasaka take away his money after they failed to find any illegal mobile sets?”
A local elder thought it suspicious that the seven had forced their way into the house while only women were present and without a village administrative officer present.
A local youth gave the names of the collaborators as Faizal , Dulaya, Alam Gir, and Ayub.

Arrests and extortion in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Yesterday, at 10 p.m., three men were arrested by the local border security force (Nasaka).
They were at a village shop eating jelaphi, a locally made sweet, said a relative of the victims.
The arrested men were identified as Sayeddul Amin (22), son of Abdu Zalil, ali Zuhar (30), son of Noru Alam, and Mohamed Noor (23), son of Mohamed Jalil. They all lived in Nanda Khali village, which is in the Nasaka’s Area No.6 in Maungdaw Township.
A group of Nasaka personnel, who were on duty at the village administration office, went to the shop and made the arrests, claiming the three were drinking wine.
The three men were physically abused by the Nasaka who demanded money for their release while keeping them in a stockade.
Upon paying 700,000 kyats to the Nasaka, the men were released the following morning, said a close friend of the victims.
“They were only eating jelaphi. They did not commit a crime but were arrested and tortured. The Nasaka demanded money to release them,” said a village elder.
“People across Arakan State hope the visiting US Secretary of State Ms. Hillary Clinton will pressure the new army-basked civilian Burmese government on the human rights violation that occur in every part of the Burma,” said a local elder from Maungdaw Town.

Over 1300 Rohingyas arrested in Bangladesh so far this year

Teknaf, Bangladesh: Bangladesh authorities have arrested over 1300 Rohingyas along the Bangladesh-Burma border within eleven month of 2011, according to different sources.
Most Rohingyas were arrested at different border entry points and pushed back to Burma by the concerned authorities.
Among those arrestees, thirteen were sent to Cox’s Bazar jail under suspicion of smuggling.
In January 2011, Bangladesh authorities arrested 73 Rohingya. The totals for the rest of the year so far are: 76 in February, 70 in March, 132 in April, 255 in May, 132 in June, 73 in July, 128 in August, 161 in September and 261 in November 2011. This adds up to 1361, though October figures (not listed) would swell the total even more.
Eventually, all those arrested were sent back into Burma after being investigated by the authorities, according to officials.
An official aide said on condition of anonymity, “Most Rohingya people come to Bangladesh from Burma to see their relatives in the refugee camps and also come to get better medical treatment in Bangladesh.”
“In Arakan State, he continued, “Rohingya people aren’t able go to Aykab (Sitwe) for better medical treatment due to restrictions movement imposed by government and the expense needed to reach Akyab.”

Villagers in Maungdaw area face extortion tactics

Maungdaw, Arakan State: The Burma Border Security Force (Nasaka) Commander of Nasaka area No.6 in Maungdaw Township recently instituted a new plan to extort money from villagers in his area, according to an anonymous local trader.
“This morning, the deputy commander of Nasaka area No.6 summoned some villagers who had built houses or shops within his command area 16 or more years ago, after getting permission from the local Nasaka officer.”
“After arriving at the camp, the Commander asked those villagers to give money to the Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) Chairman, now the Township Administration Officer (TAO),” the trader said.
According to the villagers, they did not need permission from TPDC officer at the time. They only needed permission from a local Nasaka officer. So, they had no authorized permissions papers from the TPDC officer. However, the current Nasaka area commander demanded money from any villagers who lacked such permission documents.
A village elder said, “This is a creation by the Nasaka officer to extort money. He is cheating the villagers by using his power and position.”
Another local trader said on condition of anonymity, “Nasaka officers are always thinking about how to get money from local Rohingya villagers by making new schemes or using their power to concoct fabricated accusations against villagers.”
“Those officers have no fear from their superiors as they are given free rein against the Rohingya community. They [the higher authorities] do not take any action against the culprits,” said a local teacher who declined to be named.
“The local Nasaka officer demanded100,000 kyats from a shop and between 200,000 and 300,000 kyats from a house. The shops were built in the villages or by the sides of the local roads. There are nine villages in Nasaka area No.6, and each has at least 50 houses and shops. So, the Nasaka officer will get a lot of money from the local Rohingya villagers without any investment,” the teacher concluded.