Rohingya in Rathedaung at the edge of extinction.
Rathedaung – The remaining Rohingya villages in Rathedaung are caught in the clashes between Arakan Army and Myanmar Military and targeted by both commonly, as their existence in the soil of Arakan serves the interest of neither military nor Rakhines and accordingly their safety and security concerns none.
On October 12, at noon, fighters of Arakan Army took up position along and behind Arkar Taung (Rohingya) Village and the military were at side of Yak Khone Tine Village, where they exchanged fire for about a quarter-hour across the village.
In result, many Rohingya houses were affected and damaged, and the villagers had to flee out of the village. (Watch the video)
Similarly, on October 11, there were clashes around Sin Khone Tine Village where the AA used the village as shield and the villagers left the village before a storm of bullets hit their houses. (Watch the video)
A group of 25, allegedly, members of AA raided the same village on 7th October at around 1:30 p.m. plundering the valuables and destroying houses. (Watch the video)
Several Rohingya Houses were robbed at gunpoint in Sin Khone Tine (Muslim) Village of Rathedaung Township by an Rakhine-speaking armed group at around 4 a.m . on 6th Oct.
A Rohingya elderly man called Siddique Ahmed, 65, is shot dead by Myanmar military in Buthidaung, Arakan State on October 8 at around 8:30 am.
On Sept. 15, during mutual firings between Rakhine Army and Myanmar’s brutal military around Thar Beik Taung Village (locally known as Harawn Khali) of southern Buthidaung, the latter targeted a Rohingya man called Abdul Karim, 47, with several bullets causing his death on the spot.
More than thirty Rohingya men were forced to labor in southern Buthidaung by a column of soldiers leaving Sein Nyin Pyar for Nyaung Chaung on foot on September 17.
After the cleansing operation of 2017, there are currently four Rohingya villages, out of about two dozen, remaining in Rathedaung. As the Myanmar Military and Arakan Army share the goal to wipe out Rohingya, their clashes only revolve around Rohingya villages. By attaining this goal, Rathedaung will be the next township, the first in Northern Rakhine, to be free of Rohingya existence like the southern townships.
The four villages are Argar Taung, Kan Seit, Sin Khine Tine and Lunn Taung and there are totally about 875 families in these four villages.
The Rohingyas in Rathedaung are suffering from extreme poverty due to restriction of movement and on the other hand, their villages became the battlefields. Either to live or leave, the better option is the bitter one for them.
Arakan Army fighting for the protection of Arakanese people ought to protect Rohingya too!
