Rohingyas Are Extorted Again And Again, Maung Daw

      Nasakas (boarder security forces) in Maung Daw south are using a new violence on Rohingyas from Arakan state forcing Rohingyas to pay paddy for hired paddy-fields from Natalas (model villagers) though they know that the Rohingyas could not cultivate because of the 8^th June riot.

      Myanmar government forcibly took many Natalas of Yangon Division into many parts of Maung Daw town ship as they are wilds, uneducated and are harmful for the environment. All of them were settled in Rohingyas lands. The Natala families whom were settled near the downtown area were provided trishaws and trawlers for their income source. And those whom were in the rural areas were provided 5-7 acres of Rohingyas’ lands per family though the order by higher authority was to provide 3 acres per family.

      In 1994, in Kyauk Pan Du village tract, the government has confiscated lands of Rohingyas for 40 (familes) new settlers (Natalas). For them, the authority provided the Rohingyas’ land in closer village, Jinn Taw of Myint Hlut village tract.

      As the Natalas are new in Maung Daw and away from their home, they are not happy, most of them left for their home selling their trishaws and trawlers to Rohingyas. Later, local authorities took back all the trishaws and trawlers from Rohingyas fining large amount of money. In rural areas of Maung Daw, every year, the Rohingyas(owners) have to hire their own land from Natalas as they do not cultivate the lands (Rohingyas’ Land) provided by local authorities.

      In Myanmar, the cultivating period begins in the months of June & July (the rainy season), hiring process starts in May as post paid system.

      This year 2012, two Rohingya brothers (owners), Abdul Malek and Abdul Munaf sons of Abdul Qudus hired their lands (6 acres) to cultivate in June under the agreement of paying 350 tin of paddy(1 tin=14kg=1500Ks). As they could not cultivate the lands because of the 8-June riot in Arakan state, they are unable to pay the complete cost now. But the Natalas do not agree to take even a penny less than that of the agreement. So, they with the help of Nasakas arrested and tortured the Rohingyas and forcibly took 350 tins of paddy (525,000Ks) on 19^th Dec 2012.

      Many Rohingyas who hired Natalas paddy-fields are hiding in the nearest villages of Jin Taw for the fear of Nasakas arrest as they are not able to pay the cost because the Nasakas threatened them anyone who do not pay the cost will be sentenced for long imprisonment.

Note: In Maung Daw township, every shop owners are agree not to take hiring fees of 3 months from every shopkeepers as they know that for about 3 months after the 8-June riot no one could open their shops.