231 Young men and 4 women detained at Maungdaw

From 11th to 15th October 2002, police arrested 231 young men and 4 women from Baggona village, a place 2 miles south of Maungdaw, Arakan State, said a trader of Maungdaw.
On 10th October, Maung Lun, the Chairman of the Rwa Thaya Village Peace and development Council (VPDC),friendly invited 5 young men from Baggona, an adjacent village to Rwa Thaya, to watch the pwe (dance drama) being staged at his village. They are Kabir, Kamal,
Juhar, Mohamed Yunus and Monzia (a Hindu). While they were watching the pwe, the duty police of the pwe, at the instigation of Maung Lun, suddenly rounded the up and arrested 4 of them. But, Mohamed Yunus managed to escape from the scene. All of them were sent to
Maungdaw police custody with false and fabricated accusation of rape of two Rakhaing girls of the village, he further added.

On the following day, the 11th of October, a police team came to the village from Maungdaw. On the pretext of looking for Mohamed Yunus, who had gone into
hiding, the police in collaboration with some Rakhaing goons, had arrested 15 Rohingya young men and were sent and detained in Maungdaw police custody, said a villager to our source.

Again on 12th October , a 5 member police team together with the collaboration of 15 Rakhaing muggers went to the said with the same pretext and held up16 young men, who were at once sent to Maungdaw police custody, he further added.

It was on 15th October, when the Western Commander Brigadier General Maung Oo was visiting Maungdaw, the inspector of police of Maungdaw apprised him of the matter, the General instructed the police inspector to give him detail report after making inquiry. This made the inspector encouraged and , in that very night, he dispatched a team of 12 police men with 20 Rakhaing robbers with the alleged intention of harassing and extorting the villagers. The police made house to house searches and picked up the young occupants. A
total of 200 young villagers with 4 women, namely Jahanara Begum,17, Noor Jahan,22, Samida Begum, 26, and Ayas Jahan, 31, were arrested and carried to Maungdaw police custody. All of the four arrested women belong to a same family and are daughters of
Sayed Ahmed, said victims’ relatives.

On 17th October, 69 detainees were released with a bribe of Kyats 10,000/- for each and the remaining 166 persons, including the 4 women, who are unable to offer bribe, are still kept in police custody and they have been reportedly tortured. On the other hand, the police inspector is threatening the villagers of more punishment unless Mohamed Yunus is not arrested, they further added.

An old man from Maungdaw town said,” the arrest is totally illegal. It is a fabrication to intimidate and extort the Muslim villagers. Rwa Thaya is a Rakhaing village well known as a place of prostitutes and country made wine. The corrupt army, police, government servicemen and bad elements used to visit it”.