A local tabbe Sultan has extorted 3,000 kyats from almost every family in Kiladong (Du Char Yar Taan) as census reaches the troubled spot on Thursday, according to our local correspondent.

The controversial census which began at the end of January has resulted in the harassment of many innocent Rohingya Muslims and Kiladong residents fear that since they are especially marked by the authorities, ‘special measures’ might be in adopted against them.

The ongoing census has resulted in arbitrary arrest, torture and detention of Rohingya Muslims.

Kiladong is the site of the infamous massacre of January 2014 when a Rakhine mob backed by security forces killed scores of men, women and children.

Anti-Muslim groups and the government alleges that Kiladong is a terrorist hotspot. Another reason for the bias against Kiladong is that authorities want to prevent the residents from speaking to international rights groups and the media about the massacre and the subsequent crackdown.

To this day, the government refuses to acknowledge that any killings of civilians had occurred in the area in spite of clear evidence to the contrary.

In the aftermath of the killings, security forces combed surrounding regions in search of Kiladong survivors, arresting and torturing many, including those who had sheltered them.

This year, on January 18, the security forces arrested Abdu Monaf, Md Taher, Md Ayoju and Zohur Hossain from Kiladong and subjected them to brutal torture.

Sultan have assured Kiladong residents that he will take care of their safety for 3000 kyats. But for those families who have a relative on the police list have to pay 50,000 kyats.

Almost forty names were incorporated on the list for murdering a policeman last year. Most of them have fled the country.