Natala villagers check ponds in Maungdaw south

Maungdaw, Arakan State: A group of Natala villagers have been checking drinking water ponds in Rohingya villages in Maungdaw south, northern Arakan, recently, said a businessman from Aley Than Kyaw.

"In the group – seven persons with long swords, axe and etc.”
The group have been going to every Rohingya villages to see the ponds and take some samples of mud from inside the ponds – the villagers use for drinking water- while villagers went to the spot to see what they were doing, the group stopped their work quickly, a village elder said from Maungdaw south.
“The Natala groups are going on at Udaung village, Khonza Bill village and other villages of Maungdaw south. The Rohingya villagers also informed to the concern security force – Nasaka - about the situation, but the Nasaka didn’t do anything against them.”
“Villagers believe that they (Natala) can provide poison in the ponds,” said a local schoolteacher.
Last year, some unknown Rakhines community put poison into the ponds in Buthidaung Township. So, villagers are fear of using water from ponds right now because it will affect the people, said an elder.
Natala villagers are very notorious in characters that were brought to Arakan north to settle them in Arakan by the government to harass the local Rohingya people and to increase the Buddhist community in the area. Most of them are murderers, heroine addicted people and who were sentenced to long term jail.
It is not concern to the Natala villagers to check the ponds of Rohingya villagers. There have concerned authorities to do that, if it is required. It is necessary to inform to the local authorities. Why are they doing like that? Villagers believe that it is nothing but to create another problem between Rohingya and Rakhine villagers, said a Rohingya leader from the locality.
“Why does the local Nasaka authority (Burma’s border security force) let them to do that?,” said a Rohingya youth from Maungdaw south.

Officials urge talks with Myanmar, UN on Rohingya

 

 

The Nation

February 6, 2013

House Standing Committee on State Security chairman Weng Tojirakan Wednesday discussed the Rohingya migrant issue and recommended talks with Myanmar to repatriate them or contact the United Nations to find a third country to take them in.

National Human Rights Commission's head of violation inspection division, Kesarin Tiangsakul, said it found manywomen and children among the Rohingya migrants who aimed to work in Malaysia and Indonesia, using Thailand as a transit point.

After they were arrested - and Thai law could detain them for six months - the government had to find a solution to the problem because these people couldn't be repatriated elsewhere. It also had to provide them with care on a humanitarian basis, Kesarin said.

UN Special Rapporteur visit to assess human rights situation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

GENEVA – The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Tomás Ojea Quintana, will undertake an official visit to the country from 11 to 16 February 2013, which will include gathering information on the current situation in Kachin State and Rakhine State. The rights expert visits the country at the invitation of the Government.

“As Myanmar continues to undergo wide-ranging reforms, it is important to assess the current human rights situation and to reflect on positive developments and remaining challenges,” Mr. Quintana said, preparing for his seventh mission to Myanmar, for which he has requested the authorities to visit Kachin and Rakhine States.

“A particular concern is the escalation of the conflict in Kachin State, and I hope my visit will give me a clearer picture of the situation there and the impact it has had on civilians,” he noted. “I will be lending my voice to calls for a ceasefire and progress in addressing minority issues.”

Regarding Rakhine State, the Special Rapporteur stressed that the current situation continues to be a major concern, following violence between Rakhine Buddhist and Muslim Rohingya communities there last June and October. “I would like to see the conditions in the camps for the internally displaced, which I was particularly concerned about following my previous visit last August,” Mr. Quintana said.

“I will also seek an update on what steps have been taken to address the underlying causes of the violence and displacement there, including the systematic discrimination against the Rohingya community, before I report* to the Human Rights Council,” he noted.

During his visit, the independent expert designated by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor and report on the human rights situation in Myanmar will meet with Government officials, members of Parliament and the judiciary, the National Human Rights Commission, and civil society in Naypyitaw and Yangon.

“I look forward to constructive discussion, at both senior and grassroots levels, with the aim of encouraging continuing progress in human rights protection, democratic transition and national reconciliation, while also advising on remaining gaps,” the Special Rapporteur underscored.

On 16 February, at the end of his mission, Mr. Quintana will present preliminary observations at a press conference at Yangon International Airport at 18:15 (local time). His full report on the visit will be presented to the 22nd session of the Human Rights Council on 11 March 2013.

(*) Check the latest progress report on Myanmar by the Special Rapporteur: http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N12/520/48/PDF/N1252048.pdf?O...

Maungdaw, Arakan State: Authorities concerned –Burma border security force (Nasaka), police, army and Sarapa (Military Intelligence) -increase harassment against the Rohingya people in Maungdaw after the bigoted violence in June 2012, an elder from Maungdaw Town said on condition of anonymity.

Nasaka personnel of Lake Ya Nasaka outpost camp arrested Maulana Hashim (50), Sayed Alam and two other villagers of Lake Ya (Kumir Khali) village, under the Nasaka area No. 4 of Maungdaw Township over false allegation of human trafficking on February 3 and instigated the local villagers not to take photographs which was taking by Nasaka personnel recently, said a close friend of Maulana Hashim preferring not to be named.

“It is just a plan to extort the money from them. The Nasaka demanded kyat 20 million to release.”

“However, they were released today after taking grantee to pay demanded money to the Nasaka officer. How will they pay a huge amount of money?”

“When the indiscriminate arrest and extortion money will be stopped?” asked a local elder from Maungdaw south.

In addition, today morning, a group of Nasaka personnel from Nasaka area No.6 went to the villages of under its area and locked all the mosques, Maqtabs (Arabic school for young children), Hafez Khana (Quran memorial school) and Madrasa (Arabic school) by Nasaka. The Township administration officer earlier ordered to the villagers to close all the mosques and other religious schools, but villagers did not comply with the order, said a local religious leader.

Besides, toady, at around 3:00 pm, three Sarapa from Maungdaw exit and entry point, arrested Nozumul Hassan(25), son of Abu Taher, a shopkeeper, hailed from Shwe Zaar village of Maungdaw, was arrested from the market while selling goods. It is still unknown to the villagers why he was arrested by the security personnel. But, some shopkeepers believe that he will be punished with false and fabricated case which will easy to extract money from him, according to a shopkeeper of Maungdaw Town.

Moreover, army security personnel increased checkpoints to check Rohingya travelers in Maungdaw Township --- from Shikdar Para (Myoma Kanyoungdan) to Maungdaw and the Maungdaw-Aley Than Kyaw road. The army increase harassment and looting goods from the Rohingya travelers. If a Rohinga traveler from Aley Than Kyaw went to Maungdaw to sell goods,will lost 2/3 of his goods on the way.

So far, the concerned authorities are planning how to harass and drive out the Rohingya community from northern Arakan. But the higher authority declared to the world that they are trying to settle the problems between two communities ---Rakhine and Rohingya, said a business man from Buthidaung.

At the first Union Parliament second regular session on 22 August 2011, President Thein Sein said, “We know what happen to people and what people want. And we are striving our best to fulfill their needs to the full extent. To conclude my speech, I promise that our government as a democratically-elected government will do our best for the interests of the people.”

“Is the government truly democratically elected and will do for the interests of the people?,” asked a local elder from Maungdaw.