September 04, 2021
A notorious gang of robbers and the border guard police (BGP) are reportedly easily looting and killing the Rohingya Muslims in southern part of Maungdaw, Rakhine State, according to the villagers.
On September 1, at around 1pm, a border guard officer visited a Rohingya village in south of Maungdaw and had a short meeting with the villagers.
During the meeting, the officer said, βYou must stay vigilant in your home. If there is any news, go to the nearby station to inform.β
The officer went back to his station after the meeting. It was evening and about 50 more BGP came to the village and stationed at the government post-secondary school, a villager reported to Rvision.
The border guard police stationed at the government post-secondary school issued a curfew that every villager had to stay at their own home from 8 p.m. The villagers followed the martial law and did not guard the village at night.
In the same way, the village head U Adu Munaf did not, relying on security forces, guard his house by running his own generator and lights that night. A notorious gang took the chance to shoot him to death during the night, reports a relative of the victim with the condition of anonymity.
BGP, the security forces, were called to the scene. Instead of handling the situation, the villagers trying to catch the robbers red-handed were compelled to re-enter into their houses respectively by firing two shots into the air.
At around 12 am on September 2, seven armed men broke into the house of Mohibbul Rahaman (Nickname: U Tin Shwe), 48, the head of Pantaw Pyin (Norbonna) village, south of Maungdaw, and stole jewelries by showing guns, a neighbor said.
At the moment of leaving the house, the headman was being dragged with intention of kidnapping. But he and his brothers tried to stop it while a brother was shot dead by the gunmen and other two brothers, Adu Munaf, 30, and Shabul, 28, were stabbed in the heads and arms and are being treated at Maungdaw District Public Hospital, a local eyewitness said.
After the incident, border guards patrolled the village. Crime Police in Maungdaw District are carrying out a thorough search of Rohingya people crossing the Kayin Dan-Nyaung Chaung Bridge and examining their families. It’s like making a movie, he added.
Locals often say βif BGP really want to search, they should go to the foothills.β
A survivor of the abduction said: “An overview of the situation before and after the incident reveals that the security forces had been informed in advance that Adul Hakimβs gang would enter the village. It was Just like clearing the way for the bandits to come. It can be assumed that Adul Hakim had a deal with the security forces.
βThe bandits often camp in the mountains of Kotankauk village. The kidnapees are often detained there. Adul Hakim, the leader of the bandits, speaks Burmese on the phone every day. The Burmese speakers here are none but the govern- ment armed officers. β
He also said that the government troops were the ones who brought more food to its base to prevent food shortages. He is easily released by government forces, but is released on purpose. Residents have also criticized the government for pretending not to know its base in order to earn money and kill the Muslims as well.
Reported By: Maung Wunna
Editor: Md. Shuaib