A group of Rakhine extremists in cooperation with the Myanmar’s authorities have been attempting to confiscate the farmlands belong to the local Rohingyas in Rathedaung Township, according to the local reports.

The lands are owned by the people of ‘Anauk Pyin,’ a village set ablaze and destroyed by the Rakhine Buddhist extremists led by the ex-policeman U Than Kywe during the violence in June 2012. Now, U Than Kywe, hails from ‘Ku Taung’ village, with the help of the authorities, have taken over the lands and cultivated the lands by force.

“We can’t go to the forest for logging. We can’t go for fishing. Worse, the police and the military from their respective bases in the village have been brutally oppressing us.

They stop us from harrowing and cultivating our lands. On the other hand, they threaten us that our lands will be confiscated if we don’t cultivate the lands. They say that it is against the policy of the government,” said a local of Anauk Pyin village.

“Even before attempting to seize our lands, U Than Kywe, the leader of a Rakhine hooligan group dismissed from the police service for his connection with Dacoits (robbers), invaded into the lands and cultivated paddy by force. He said that he did it with the permission of the Rakhine State Government.

Now, we get nothing to do for our survival. Our lands are being confiscated by using military and police force. Kindly help us by any means” he continued.

Anauk Pyin is a Rohingya village in Rathedaung Township is surrounded by Rakhine villages from all sides. The villagers have been blocked and their access to outside has been cut off since June 2012.