Maungdaw, Arakan State: The Burmese Vice-president, Sai Mauk Kham, along with arms forces advisory officer and deputy Defense Chief of staff were arrive with two helicopters in Alay Than Kyaw , Maungdaw south at about 10:00am , according to a member of village administration office.
Burma’s Vice President Sai Mauk Kham Photo: President’s office
“The vice president and the officers meet the local Burma border security force (Nasaka) personnel of Nasaka area number 7 and met with Natala ( New settler) where the vice president had given 500000 kyat per one family of Natala villagers. The vice president didn’t meet with Rohingyas from Alay Than Kyaw and no relief or cash to them.”
“The vice president and its group left Alay than Kyaw at about 10:45 am and landed at Nyaung Chaung Natala village at 11:00am where the group stayed only 5 minutes. Then the groups landed at Maungdaw football ground and stay in Maungdaw.”
The vice president and its groups suddenly visited after UN Human Rights envoy Tomas Ojea Quintana visited the areas. May be the high level officers have a secret plan on Maungdaw and Buthidaung where most of people are Rohingya community, said an elder from Maungdaw.
“The groups also visited Bomu Village where only a few residents’ areas of Mogh and not to other all areas of Rohingyas residents. This area was also visited by District administrator officer, Aung Myint Soe with Mogh politicians of RNDP on June 15, after riot.”
“May be they want to do this village and still we don’t know what will be happen to Rohingya residents of Bomu village.”
The purpose of the trip may be to assess the situation in the area after the worst violence in periods broke out since early June and growing international criticism of the government’s handling of recent communal conflicts between Buddhists Rakhines and Muslim Rohingyas.
The visit comes for Muslim countries, international rights groups and foreign governments have accused the government of siding with Buddhists in the clashes.
The Human Rights Watch released a report on August 1, alleging that government security forces have undertaken systematic abuses against Rohingya Muslims, including murder, beatings, arbitrary arrest and other abuses.
In a statement released on July 27, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay also claimed that Muslim communities in Arakan State were being targeted by security forces.
Hundreds of Rohingyas have been killed, raped, beaten and arbitrarily arrested since Burma declared a state of emergency in Arakan State in June, stated Amnesty International.
On July 30, the Burmese government said it had “exercised maximum restraint in order to restore law and order in those particular places in Rakhine state,” in a foreign ministry statement.
