The Myanmar Police threatened a Rohingya and extorted money from him in Buthidaung Township last Friday for keeping the picture of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi in his phone, according to reliable sources.

Around 2:30PM on November 20, a team of five police officers from ‘Regional Security Department’ from the Police Station stopped the Rohingya passers-by and checked out their hand-phone sets. Upon searching their phones, the police found the picture of Daw Aung San Suu Kyin saved in the photo of a person named U Aziz Nazir Hussein.

The police said “Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is not a leader of the nation but a puppet of the Western Nations. Why do you keep her photos in your phone?

Doing so is an insult to the President of the nation.”

After that, the police threatened him and extorted Kyat 150,000.  After that, they released him, according to an eyewitness.

Similarly, a Border Guard Police (BGP) staff named U Nay Lin Aung threatened a Rohingya in ‘Ye Nouk Nga Thar’ village in northern Maungdaw Township on November 21 for finding a photo of President Thein Sein in his (the Rohingya’s) phone.

The BGP Staff said to the victim named U Chitfa Ishaaq “you filthy people don’t have the right to carry the photos of the nation’s leader.” He then extorted Kyat 100,000 from him, said a local in the village.

The BGP Staff, Nay Lin Aung, serves as the Bodyguard of the Commander of the Police Station in ‘Nga Ran Chaung’ village under the Commandment Region 2 in northern Maungdaw. He committed the money extortion while he was on leave to his native village ‘Taman Thar.’

For a few months, the Myanmar armed forces such Police, Border Guard Police and Military have escalated money extortion from the local Rohingyas on blatant accusations. Nobody takes actions against the atrocious acts, local people complaint.

 Around six human trafficking boats reported to have been waiting around off Sittwe (Akyab) coast for past few days were abandoned by the traffickers after hearing of a police raid, according to the reliable sources.

With already around 70 people from on the boats, the human traffickers were waiting more potential victims from the Rohingya IDP (Internally Displaced People) Camps, whom (the victims) were set to be later smuggled to Malaysia via Thailand.

On Monday night around 9:30PM, acting upon an information tip, the Police in ‘Manzi’ village led by the Station Commander, Hla Myo Thu, made to the coast of ‘Ohn Daw Gyi’ village where the human traffickers were reported to be waiting.

However, the traffickers abandoned the boats and fled from the place to go into hiding before the police’s arrival. Upon so, the victims on the boats (who are) mostly from the IDP Camps – such as Bodu Pha, Thakkay Pyin, Ohn Daw Gyi, Thay Chaung and Aung Mingalar — also ran away in fear.

Later, the police came back and said “we went there but found no one.”

However, the police said that they would be looking for the human traffickers and take actions.

“Earlier, the armed forces and the administrative authorities have also been complicit in the human trafficking. Now, we pray and hope they do something to prevent the trafficking,” said a Rohingya youth in Ohn Daw Gyi.

AS the monsoon ends in Myanmar and the sea-weather en-route to Thailand has become calm and stable, the human traffickers have started the illegal trading of human beings touted to be a multi-million dollar business in the region. This time, they are said to be taking a different route and applying different tactic for trafficking.

(Read earlier reports: HERE and HERE.)

“The traffickers coax people. Or they entrap people to smuggle them to Malaysia. But as long as the violence and brutal persecution by the government against our people do not stop, the people will continue fleeing. By this means or by other means,” said a Rohingya at an IDP Camp in Sittwe.

 The Burmese Border Guard Police robbed a Rohingya woman while going through the check-post in Maungdaw Township on Sunday, according to eyewitnesses.

The victim is identified to be 39-year-old Kaneez Fatema Jamal Hussein hails from ‘Yedwin Chaung’ village in northern Maungdaw. She was on the way to ‘Myo Oo’ village when she got robbed. 

“The victim was said to be visiting Myo Oo (Naitor Dael) village to see her sick relatives. The BGP at the check-post nearby ‘Shwe Zarr (Shujah)’ bridge stopped their bus for a (routine) check-up like they usually do to Rohingya passers-by. As she got off from bus, she took off her Gold-Chain weighed 16-gram off her neck and put inside her purse.

However, a BGP staff put his hand inside her purse on pretext of checking out what’s inside. After that, the BGP staff asked her to leave. As she found her gold-chain missing from before she left, she went back to the BGP camp and asked them to give her chain back.

The BGP declined and said that they didn’t find any such thing in her purse. So, she started crying for the chain as she had only that to call her valuable belonging. The BGP scolded her and threatened to beat her 

So, she had to leave the place in desparity, ” said an eyewitness on the condition of anonymity.

The BGP at the ‘Shwe Zar’ Bridge-Post frequently rob valuable belongings from Rohingya passers-by, steal their money like pick-pockets, beat the (Rohingya) innocent people and often bodily harrass the women. However, the higher authorities fail to take actions against the Barbaric BGP police despite knowing everything.

“The higher authorities know that. But they don’t do anything to stop this. So, it can be interpreted as ‘the higher authorities are also complicit in the crimes,” remarked an elderly Rohingya in Maungdaw.

The Myanmar Border Guard Police (BGP) arrested two Rohingya religious scholars on arbitrary allegations in northern Maugdaw Township on October 13, according to the reports by eyewitnesses.

The BGP arbitrarily framed charges against the two scholars of possessing Bangla SIM Cards and beat them up taking them into their camp. They detained one of them under the arbitrary charge, releasing another afterwards after extorting Kyat 0.6 Million.

“Mv Sayed Salam Mohammed Salam and Mv Jafar Hussein Yusof, two religious scholars hail from East Hamlet of ‘Kyauk Pyein Seik’ village tract, were in their way to Maungdaw by their respective motorcycles around 9:30AM on November 13.

As they reached to BGP Check-Post nearby the Bridge between ‘Hla Pho Kaung’ village and ‘Kyauk Pyein Seik’ village, the BGP personnel stopped their motorcycle and dragged them into their camp. They stripped off their clothes on pretext of body-search. Nothing was said to have found.

And a BGP staff came out and put a ‘Bangala Grameen SIM Card’ into their motorcycle. After that, (it was said that) the BGP put another SIM Card into the pocket of Mv Jafar Hussein. So, after the plotting the charges, the BGP accused both innocent scholars of possessing Bangla SIM Cards.

So, they inhumanely started beating them in their camp. And they (the BGP) demanded Kyat 300,000 from each of them for their releases. Since they (the victims) were only able to pay Kyat 300,000 (for both), they were transferred to the BGP Commander in ‘Kyauk Hle Karr’ village under Region (Nay Myay) 6, northern Maungdaw.

The BGP commander also beat them. He released Mv Sayed Alam as he was able to pay Kyat 600,000, while kept another victim, Mv Jafar Hussein, in detention under the made-up charge of possession of ‘Bangla SIM Card.’

On November 16, he was transferred to Maungdaw Township Court for trial under the charge framed against him,” said a local who witnessed incident when the victims were arbitrarily arrested.

Now, it has been learnt that the Maungdaw police took him under their detention after taking ‘Remand’ from the Court. His family members were not allowed to see him although they sought permission from the authorities to meet him while he was being taken to the court.

Nowadays, money extortions from the local Rohingya people by the Police and the Border Guard Police (BGP) by framing such arbitrary charges have become rampant. Money extortion is being treated by the armed forces as a legal business.

The Burmese Police chased and arrested few internally displaced Rohingyas in Sittwe Township, Arakan state, last Friday.

On November 19, the Police is said to have attempted to arrest a few Internally Displaced People (IDP) in ‘Sethamma Gyi (Say Thar Mar Gyi)’ IDP Camps for unknown reasons. And it consequently led to a confrontation between the Police and the IDP.

During the confrontation in the Camps, the Police saw some IDP carrying knives with them. Therefore, the Police called for extra Forces and as the more Police Forces arrived, the (displaced) dispersed and left the place.

“Actually, the people carrying knives were from ‘Thandaw Li (Saantoli)” village taking shelter in the IDP Camps. Having knives with them and taking them wherever they go is their custom and tradition.

They used to do it. They are doing now. It’s not to harm anybody. And they were not involving in the confrontation but other people were.

However, the police misunderstood it or intentionally call for more police forces despite knowing it. As more police forces arrived, everybody left the place as they didn’t want the confrontation into a conflict or violence” said an internally displaced Rohingya.

Nevertheless, on November 20 around 7:30AM, many fully-prepared police forces raided in ‘Sethamma Gyi’ IDP Camps and started chasing people. One displaced Rohingya was arrested while the police kept chasing other people.

It has been further learnt that the arrested Rohingya was taken to the Police station of ‘Ohndaw Gyi’ IDP camps afterwards. The police kept him under the hot-sun in the premise of the police station for the whole day by tying him in the post with his hands also tied at his back.

Some of his camp-mates went to the police station to try to get him released.

The Myanmar Police besieged the Rohingya IDP (Internally Displaced People) camps in Pauktaw Township on Saturday morning to arrest their leaders that demanded to be settled back to their original places, according to the sources in IDP camps.

The Myanmar authorities force them to accept the government resettlement plan and have their homes (with link-houses or small houses) in the muddy and squalid camp areas where they are temporarily living. However, the displaced Rohingya people demand the authorities to restore them with their rights by allowing them to have homes built on their original lands.

As it continues, last Friday, the administrator of Pauktaw Township tightly guarded by the Security Police Personnel arrived at Nget Chaung IDP Camps. He urged the Rohingya IDP in the Camps to accept the government’s resettlement plan and agree to have homes to be built by the government in their IDP camp areas.

Three Rohingya people stood up on behalf of the Rohingyas in IDP camps and demanded the administrator to provide them homes in their original lands.

U Kyaw Hla, one of the three people, asked (the administrator) “if it (the violence) was communal as you said, why don’t/can’t you restore us with our lands and settle us back there? Why do you prefer (racial) segregation over (racial) reconciliation (with Rakhines)?

Where has gone your Rule of Law?”

After that, another leader in the camp, U Maung Ni said “we demand you to give us our lands back at any cost. You can kill us but we will never agree to any of your proposals: building houses for us in these camps’ areas and ‘Bengal’ as the label for our ethnic identity.”

To which the Administrator angrily responded “you must obey the order of President Thein Sein at any cost.”

On Saturday morning, many police personnel raided the camps in ‘Nget Chaung’ to arrest the three people that, on behalf of all Rohingya IDP, refused to accept the government resettlement plan a day earlier.

The police threatened (them) “you must accept the government’s housing program and also accept ‘Bengali’ as your ethnic identity.

And hand those three people – Abdul Ghani @Kyaw Hla, 28; Abdu Jalil @Maung Ni, 53; and Sadar Kya, 60 — over to our hands. We want them to through police investigations and trials.

If you don’t follow our orders, we will punish you all.”

However, many displaced people came out of their camps and shielded the three people – that stood up for their rights – from reaching the police’s hands and protected from getting arbitrarily arrested by them (the police).

“They were steadfast to the three people and helped them to escape the police’s arrest. Ultimately, the police left,” said a local Rohingya in Pauktaw.

Soon after the landmark election in Myanmar history, the Thein Sein government still in power has resumed its Genocidal Plan against the Rohingyas again. The Rohingya in Arakan have been being kept under Genocidal blockage since 2012.

Since then, they demand the government to have their homes back on the original lands where their homes burnt down by the state-sponsored Rakhine terrorists in 2012 and their lands were subsequently confiscated. Myanmar can never be considered to be a democratic country unless it ends Rohingya Genocide and restore them with their basic human rights, ethnic and citizenship rights.

A Rohingya man from Maungdaw Township have gone missing en route to Malaysia since he left Myanmar (Burma) in January 2015, reliable sources report.

The missing man is identified to be Mr. Baadshah Meah (son of) Sikaandahar from ‘Ye Dwin Pyin (Kuwaar Bil)’ village under ‘Taung Pyo Let Wai’ sub-township in northern Maungdaw.

He was coaxed by the human traffickers in the township to take boat journey for Malaysia and hence, left home in January 2015 falling into their trap. His family has heard home that he reached to Thailand after a few days he had left home.

“He left home in January 2015. And we have heard that he reached to Thailand. However, after that, we have not heard anything about his whereabouts and do not know where he is now. He has gone missing since then.

We don’t know if he died or not. We are extremely worried,” said a family member of the victim gone missing.

Thousands of Rohingyas have perished in the sea or killed by the human traffickers since they started leaving their homes en masse as a consequence of the persecution and violence against them by the Burmese government. The human trafficking has stopped since the crackdown of the traffickers took place in Thailand in May, June and afterwards.

However, the human trafficking of Rohingyas from Myanmar is slowly re-emerging as the persecution against them has not stopped yet and the actions by the regional authorities have decreased.

“As long as you don’t solve the root causes in Myanmar, which is the violence against us, you can’t stop people leaving our country and human trafficking forever,” said Rohingya youth in Maungdaw.

The Rakhine Buddhist extremists killed a Rohingya youth in Mrauk-U (Fatthar Killa) Township on Monday, while they severely injured another young boy and abandoned him in the farmland thinking he was dead.

The incident happened at ‘Si Thay’ village in Mrauk-U Township around 4:00PM on November 2. The Rakhine extremists from the nearby ‘Nan Chaa’ village attacked both of them as they went out to cut grass at the farmland outside ‘Si Thay’ village to feed the domestic animals they used to herd.

The dead body was found lying amidst the tall grass in the farmland around 11:00AM on November 3 as their villagers came out to look for these missing boys.

The killed youth has been identified as Mohammed Sadek (son of) Shafi Alam, 20, hails from ‘Si Thay’ village in Mrauk-U Township. Meanwhile, his friend abandoned with serious injuries is Shomsul Alam (son of) Dil Mohammed, 14, from ‘Nagara’ village under ‘Myaung Bwe’ sub-township of the Mrauk-U Township.

“The Rakhine extremists brutally beat both of us. We don’t know why. They slit the throat of Mohammed Sadek and killed him. And I lost sense and got fainted as they brutally beat me, too.

Therefore, they abandoned me in the farmland thinking I was dead. I was fortunate enough to survive,” said Shomsul Alam, the survivor, who was later found out by his villagers fainted and lying amidst the grass around 3:00PM (on November 3).

Later, the Mrauk-U Police arrested the surviving youth and accused him of killing his companion although he gave the statement that the Rakhine extremists were the people that attacked both of them.

“The police simply want to shield the Rakhine terrorists. They want not to punish the criminals because they are the people of their own kind and the same race and religion,” said a local Rohingya in Mrauk-U.

Both of them are farmers work in the same village ‘Si Thay.’ While the deceased Mohammed Sadek worked for a Rohingya man named ‘Hassan,’ the injured Shomsul Alam works for another Rohingya land-owner named ‘Mohammed Shah.’

As the national election is looming around the corner, Rakhine extremists backed by Rakhine political groups and the Rakhine militants based outside the country are trying to destabilize the region by targeting the helpless Rohingyas.

The Burmese government recruited 300 Rakhines as temporary police staffs in Maungdaw Township last week, which is thought to be a part of many plots reported to have been taking place against Rohingya ahead of the country’s controversial upcoming election. 

The police recruited for one month have been deployed at every Rakhine village in Maungdaw Township, an act claimed by the authorities to be for the security of Rakhine villages. However, no such security protections have been provided around Rohingya villages.

A local Rohingya in southern Maungdaw expressed his concern “the 300 Rakhines recruited as temporary police mostly include pick-pockets and hooligans. We fear deploying them around our villages will cause problems and unrests during the times of the elections.

They may attack us taking advantage of the authorities and uniforms provided to them.”

The temporary police recruits somehow fall in the category of volunteer police and each of them will reportedly enjoy a payment of Kyat 150,000 for his one-month service.

On the other hand, Captain Tin Tun Oo, the in-charge of the Border Guard Police (BGP) in Nyaung Chaung village in Buthidaung Township, visited a few Rohingya villages – Pharung Chaung, Sein Nyein Pya and Phaya Pyin Aung Pha — along with his group on October 29. He gathered Islamic Religious Scholars, the Rohingya community representatives and some other Rohingyas during his visit on pretext of holding meetings with them.

However, he just took photographs of the people gathered and left saying “Thank you,” according to an eyewitness.

Similarly, the military deployment in the ghettoed Rohingya area in Sittwe (Akyab) Township called ‘Aung Mingalar’ Quarter have been withdrawn and replaced with Security Forces known as ‘Hlun Hteins.’

“Military mainly composed of Bama (Burmese) Buddhists, while Hlun Hteins are formed mainly with Rakhine Buddhists. And most of these Hlun Hteins secretly act upon the instructions by the Rakhine politicians with vested interest.

And the military have been replaced by Hlun Hteins. It is something to be worried about. A lot of conspiracies have been going on against us, the Rohingya people, nowadays ahead of the coming elections.

Nevertheless, I urge my Rohingya compatriots to be well-aware of the situation, to not react upon instigations and stay calm. We should not give the extremists any chance,” said elderly man in Aung Mingalar Quarter.