The Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP) arbitrarily opened fires at three innocent Rohingya men in northern Maungdaw last Friday, injuring one critically and putting his life at risk, according to the reliable sources.

The BGP under ‘Thay Chaung-Chaung Wa’ camp in Taung-Pyo sub-township, Maungdaw township, opened fire at the three people rowing a peddling a boat on pretext that they didn’t stop upon their order for a search on the boat.

The victims are identified to be Sayedul Amin (son of) Abul Khair, 25; Khala Shuna (son of) Abu Yusouf, 20; hail from ‘Mya Zin’ hamlet of ‘Long Doon’ village tract in northern Maungdaw and one more person from ‘Thin Baw Hla’ village, under ‘Taung-Pyo sub-township. All of them are poor people and earn their livelihoods on trading firewood from Taung-Pyo to Maungdaw.

After the firing, the BGP sent Sayedul Amin, the person critically wounded by bullet, to hospital and later took him into detention along with the two other people.

“It was around 2:00pm last Friday that three firewood traders were rowing a pedal boat with some firewood on board. Besides, they have acquired the license for the firewood trading. As they were passing by the ‘Thay Chaung-Chaung Wa’ BGP camp at ‘Thay Chaung’ village tract, some BGP personnel were said to have been hiding in the bush by the stream.

The BGP personnel reportedly called upon them to stop for a search on the boat. The people didn’t stop as they didn’t hear the voice of the BGP as it was too low to be heard. Just for that, the BGP started firing at them. A bullet hit at the higher part of the thigh of a person named ‘Sayedul Amin’ and came out from other side. He fell off the boat and suffered heavy bleeding.

He was temporarily sent to ‘Kyein Chaung’ hospital and later taken into along with others” said a local Rohingya in the region on the condition of anonymity.

It has been learnt that, later, when Sayedul Amin became critical in the detention, he was sent to the hospital again around 2am last Friday. Although the BGP has taken responsibilities of the treatment to the person, no relative of his is allowed to see him in the hospital.

However, the BGP is said to have been preparing to charge them on false allegations of possessions of three lethal swords and three Bangla phones on their boat so as to conceal the crimes that they (the BGP) had committed.

The ‘Chaung Wa’ BGP falls under the BGP commandment area (previously known as commandment area 4) at ‘Leik Ya’ village in Taung-Pyo sub-township. Locals believe that the rampant firing like this and alike in the recent time have been taking under the instructions by the higher BGP officers in the region. Otherwise, there is no way that the BGP can escape with impunity after committing the crimes and rather, make the innocent Rohingyas fall preys to systematic double victimization.