AA in Minbya Threatens Every Rohingya Returned from Abroad to Pay 2 million Kyats

February 01, 2022

The Arakan Army (AA) in Minbya, Rakhine State summoned the Rohingyas returned from abroad for having no jobs due to Covid-19 pandemic and interrogated them to threaten to pay 2 million Kyat each, victims reports.

The Rohingyas from Minbya Township who went to Malaysia have become jobless because of the lockdown of Covid-19 and have to live on their savings which have almost been consumed.

In early 2022, the Malaysia government declared lockdown again, a hindrance to feed laborers’ mouths, and it forces them to return to their native township, Minbya where their families are living in the IDP camps.

Since the beginning of January, up to 18 Rohingyas, with the help of Malaysia government, have come back to their birth places where their families, children and relatives are now.

But AA, the so-called Rakine extremist armed group, summoned and interrogated them and forced to pay up to 2 million Kyat each, according to the victims.

However, the victims earnestly said to the AA troops, “We did not come back by making money but because of trouble. Nevertheless, they sent back us to bring and pay them 10 lakh at a time and then 5 lakh in installments.”

Right now, the returnees from Malaysia are not able to meet AA’s demands and their families are living as refugees in their own country, so they have to eat only food donated by NGOs. But AA is repeatedly summoning and looking for them for the money.

AA’s daily mistreatments towards poor Rohingya Muslims indicate that the group is playing a major role in accelerating the Rohingya genocide again.

Reported By: ArakanGo

Editor: Md. Shuaib