Friday 23 December 2011

Extort kyat 700,000 for no marriage permission

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Burma border security force (Nasaka) extorted kyat 700,000 from two couples without taking marriage permission from concerned authority in Maungdaw on December 18, said a Nasaka aide on condition of anonymity.  

“Saiful Islam (30), and Abas Meah (40) are two brothers and sons of Dr. Noor Mohamed, hailed from Fokira Bazar of Maungdaw Township, are two bridegrooms of the two couples who had paid the money to Nasaka.”

The two brothers married recently without taking marriage permission from the local Nasaka officer because the Nasaka deliberately takes a long  time to issue marriage permission after taking a big amount, said a trader from the locality. 

“Saiful Islam is the new bridegroom, but Abas Meah took second wife as his first wife was dead two years ago.”

A group of Nasaka personnel from Fokirabazar went to the bridegrooms’ home where Nasaka arrested the two bridegrooms and kept detained in the camp on December 18. However, they were released after paying Kyat 700,000, said a close relative of the victims who denied to be named. 

In Arakan State, the Rohingya community is not allowed to marry without marriage permission from concerned authorities. The widowers have to wait at least two years to take another wife or remarried. The bridegroom is to be clean-shaved and not to take more than two children.  The couple must be over 18-year old. 

There is no restriction to non-Rohingya communities. The authority pretends that they have the duty to control the birth rate for the Rohingya community, in reality; they intend to reduce population growth of Rohingya community, giving many kinds of mentally harassment and extorting money, said a Rohingya elder from the locality.

Office boys block to meet officer in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Office boys from Maungdaw administration office are blocking the people to meet township administration officer in Maungdaw since long, said a village administration officer from Maungdaw.

“The office boys – Maung Maung Chay, Htun Naing and Hla Win – are working in Maungdaw administration office since last ten year without shifting anywhere from these post and office.”

“The office boys are carrying files one place to another inside the office and watching at the door of officer’s room. Anyone need to meet the officer, must pay money first the office boys to enter the office room.”

“The officer boys are all Rakhine community and they are harassing the people (especially Rohingya community) to visit the office,” said an elder from Maungdaw.

“The village administration officers need to meet the officer every month in the office to report the situation of their village to the officer, but, the office boys held the village administration officers to enter the officer room with paying money.”

The office boys  also give ideas how to extort money from the local people (especially Rohingya community) where the office boys are going as bodyguard of Township officer and the office boys ask money from local for township officer  when the officer visited any place in the rural areas.

“The township officer is silent where his office boys are talking the local people for money for their case settlement for him. This is the duty of office boys from Maungdaw township administration office.”

Security officers create false case to extort money in Maungdaw

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Security officers and their collaborators are creating false case to extort money from Rohingya community in Maungdaw on December 15, 2011, said an elder from Maungdaw block 3.

“Security officer –Than Tun, Corporal, surveillance officer, district police department, Maungdaw- with his collaborator were kept a packet of Yaba tablet under the stairway of Kala (Aung Naing Soe)’s house in Myoma Kyayoungdan village on the midnight of December 14.”

“The collaborator is also from Myoma Kyayoungdan village, able to go the victim’s house anytime without fear and doubt.”

The security officer Than Tun consulted with one of his colleague from district police department where his colleague advised to inform to the office to raid Kala’s house. Corporal Than Tun delayed his operation to arrest Kala and to extort money from him with his plan, said a politician from Maungdaw.  

“But, the colleague of Than Tun informed Kala about detail plan of security officer to arrest and to extort the money. Kala who went to the Burma border security force (Nasaka) headquarter and report all detail of creation of false case by security officer to extort money from him. The Nasaka personnel from headquarter checked the report as per kala information where the Nasaka personnel found all  and arrested the collaborator and security officer for interrogation. But ,the security officer was free and staying in the office where the collaborator was kept in detention.”

“The officer had given bribe the Nasaka investigation officer and the officer was set free from the case.”

Similarly, Mohamed Siddque and Eliyas hailed from Shwezar village were arrested by Nasaka captain Nay Win Min Tun with false allegation of drug smugglers and kept them in the Nasaka outpost camp number 14. They were released after taking 500,000 kyat and one million kyats, said a village administration office member.

“The Nasaka captain Nay Win Min Tun is working with his collaborator Rashid who faced a drug trafficking case in Nasaka headquarter and now working for Nasaka where he is harassing and disturbing the Shwezar villagers to extort money.”

“This is creation to extort from Rohingya community with create false cases and  harassing the people.”

10-Rohingya boatpeople arrested at Teknaf

Teknaf, Bangladesh: Ten Rohingya boatpeople were arrested by Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), yesterday night from Teknaf while preparing to go to Malaysia, said a local elder from Shapuri Dip on condition of anonymity.
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel with arrested ten Rohingya sea voyagers in Teknaf

“Ten sea voyagers were arrested by BGB personnel led by Nayeb Sufador Mohamed Wazib Uddin of Sapran BGB out-post while hiding in a big backyard of areca palm to avoid arrest from BGB and Coast Guard and police yesterday.” 

“The arrested sea voyagers are - Mohamed Seraz (25), Mohamed Taher (16), Shona Meah (25), Eman Hossain (26), Noor Hossain(25), Abul Hossain (40), Salim Ullah (16),  Aman Ullah(21), Abdul Hamid (38), son of Noor Mohamed, and Nurul Hakim (60).”

“The sea voyagers have already paid Taka 30,000 per each to Salim Maji (driver), son of Ghura Meah, hailed from Lombori village of Teknaf, and Gaffor Maji, hailed from Fansari Para of Saparan union for the voyage of Thailand or Malaysia,” according to an arrestee.

The BGB filed a case at Teknaf police station against the sea voyagers, said BGB official and the 42 Battalion Commander Lt.Col Zahid Hussan confirmed it. 

An engine boat with 110 boatpeople had been sunk in the Bay of Bengal on the night of December13 where some people were dead and missing till now.

The voyage to Malaysia from Bangladesh and Burma is a risky route where some boatpeople were died on the way with risky boat which sank in the sea, some were arrested by Thailand and Burma, but voyagers from Burma and Bangladesh are still not stopped to go that risky route.

“Recently, a police officer from Rangoon came to Maungdaw Township, and then went to Maungdaw south where an engine boat was sank while going to Malaysia and died some of the boatpeople. The officer held a meeting at the village inviting all the villagers and told that not to send people to Thailand or Malaysia as they are being arrested by Thai or Burma’s authorities and sent to jail.  In future, the political situation of Burma including the Arakan State will be changed. So, it is not necessary sending people to abroad for earning,” said a village elder quoting the police officer who had participated in the meeting.

Nearly 200 people -- half of them Rohingyas -- have been arrested and some 10 boats seized since the latest wave of migration began in early November, according to Teknaf police chief Mahbubul Haq.

"We have put undercover agents along the border. They are tipping us off to any moves by traffickers to get Rohingyas and Bangladeshis into the boats to attempt the journey.”

"But I am afraid many boats may have evaded our crackdown and set sail anyway."

"Traffickers charge only around 20,000 taka ($300) for a boat ride to Malaysia, which is at least 15 times cheaper than the migration fees being charged by recruiting agencies."

Rohingya, one of the most persecuted minorities on earth, thousands of Muslim Rohingyas -- who are not recognized as citizens in Burma -- stream across the border into Muslim-majority Bangladesh every year, according to description by the United Nations which published in AFP “Bangladesh cracks down on boat migrants to Malaysia.”

Bangladesh recognizes 28,000 of them as registered refugees, who live in two official UN camps near the border. This figure is a fraction of the 200,000 to 300,000 "unofficial" refugees, according to government estimates.

"For many refugees, the risky sea journey is better than the squalor and near starvation in the refugee camps in Bangladesh. A lot of Rohingyas know that the trip is like suicide. But do they have any choice?," said Mujibur Rahaman -, a registered refugee at the UN's Kutupalong refugee camp – and he said “The Rohingyas are driven by a sense of "utter frustration" to attempt the boat trip to Malaysia.”

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Maung daw, Arakan state, Myanmar (Burma)
I am an independent man who voted to humanitarian aid.