The internally displaced Rohingyas in Pauktaw Township refused the shelter homes offered by the Myanmar authorities demanding restorations to their original homes and lands.

U Kyan Aye, the head of Pauktaw Township Administration, visited the ‘Sintet Maw (Sandama)’ IDP (Internally Displaced People) camps in Pauktaw Township around 3:00PM on Monday. During the meeting with the internally displaced Kamans and Rohingyas (IDP) in the camps, he said that there’s an instruction from the higher officials to build a single-storey house separately, one unit for every family at the place where they are currently living.

However, the displaced Kamans and Rohingyas in the camps originally from ‘Kyauk Phyu’ Township, responded saying “we are ready to accept anything if the government is restoring us to our original lands and homes in Kyauk Phyu. We’ll never agree to any proposal no matter if the government is planning to build flats or buildings here.”

Afterwards, U Kyan Aye asked the displaced people to sing on the paper by mentioning that they (the IDP) were refusing the offer of the shelter homes. Around 70 people have signed the letter of rejection.

Having the signatures of the people on the paper, the U Kyan Aye, left at around 5:00PM of the day. Before leaving, he said that he would submit the letter to the higher authorities.

None of the IDP (Kyauk Phyu Township) has been threatened or arrested by the authorities for the refusal of the offer yet. However, they (the IDP that signed on the letter) are worried that they will be troubled by the authorities sooner or later.

On September 24, U Kyan Aye, the head of Pauktaw Township Administration, paid a similar visit to the ‘Sintet Maw (Sandama)’ IDP camps and held a meeting with the camp committee regarding the issue.

The Muslim people, both Kamans and Rohingyas, fled from their hometown ‘Kyauk Phyu’ for ‘Sintet Maw in Pauktaw Township’ after their homes and villages have been burnt down and razed by the state-sponsored Rakhine (Magh) terrorists in October 2012. Attempt to make them permanently live in the IDP camps and to not return them their original homes and lands is a plan by the government to render them homeless and landless.

Myanmar’s Township Administrative Authorities in Buthidaung Township demolished a mosque and a religious school being repaired after they had been damaged by the Cyclone ‘Komen’ last Thursday. 

The President Thein Sein gave instructions to repair any sanctuary structures damaged by the cyclone during his visit to the township post the natural disaster. However, U Than Shwe, the township administrator of Buthidaung, has ordered the Islamic sanctuary committees to stop repairing the sanctuary structures or pay him humongous amount of bribes for the repairs. [Please Read the Earlier Report: Township Administrator Threaten Sanctuary Committees in Buthidaung]

The administrator U Than Shwe, a Rakhine extremist, has threatened some sanctuary committees in the township and extorted Kyat 1 Million to 2 Million for repairing mosques and other sanctuary structures. He then demanded Kyat 10 Million each from the Sanctuary Committees in ‘Alay Chaung (Ali Yong)’ village and ‘Attwin Nget Thay’ village respectively. None of the committees was able to pay such humongous amount of ransom money.

Hence, last Wednesday, he summoned the committee members of Alay Chaung’ village to his office and ordered them to demolish the mosque erected. However, the committee members responded “we won’t be able to demolish a Mosque once it is erected. It is not permitted in the religion of Islam.”

The next day, U Than Shwe ordered the administrator of Alay Chaung village to hire workers to demolish the mosque. And then, the mosque was subsequently demolished.

“The mosque was fully destroyed during the cyclone. Hence, it was being rebuilt and re-erected. It was not fully built but only the roof was covered with Tin. The tin roof was taken down by the hired workers,” said a villager in Alay Chaung.

Similarly, the administrator of ‘Kin Taung’ village, upon the instruction of U Than Shwe, demolished the roof of the Tafiz Religious School which was under re-construction after it had been damaged by the storm. The reason behind the demolition is that the School Committee has refused Kyat 10 Million bribes for the repair works.

Restriction on Freedom of Religion and Belief is one of the many fundamental human rights violations being committed against Rohingyas by the Myanmar’s ultranationalist governments throughout decades.

 A gang of drunken Myanmar’s Security Forces known as Hlun Htein attempted to rape a 21-year-old Rohingya girl in Sittwe (Akyab) Township last night. 

The gang of security police forces, being high on alcohol, broke into the residence of Mr. Khalu @ Yusuf at around 1:30AM on October 1. Three of them, then, dragged his daughter, Ms. Kharisa, out of the house as another security force shut her mouth tightly. Tearing off her clothes, they began to attempt to rape her in gang.

Meanwhile, she struggled and managed to take the hand off her mouth and screamed for help loudly. Her father came out of the house and shouted for help to his neighbors. As his neighbors arrived at the place in crowd to rescue the girl, the Security Forces ran away.

15 minutes later, 14 Security Forces arrived at the place of the incident to arrest the victim, Ms. Kharisa, and her father. However, they could not arrest them because the villagers confronted the criminal security forces. When many more villagers started to gather, they left the place for their camp.

Two people were injured during the confrontations with the Security Forces that attempted to rape the girl in gang. The security police forces serve under the Battalion-36 which is very close to the place of the crime and the Sittwe University.

“The police forces daily abuse, beat and rob Rohingyas passing by their camp. Sometimes, they pretend to be normal civilian Rakhines (Maghs) and some other times, as Security Police Forces in uninform to torture and rob the Rohingya passers-by.

Although the locals often complain to their commander Major Wunna Zaw, no action is taken against the brutal and barbaric security forces. Hence, they are committing crimes against Rohingyas with impunity,” said a local Rohingya in Sittwe.