International NGO Delegates Meet Displaced Rohingya Yesterday

M.S. Anwar

3^rd April 2014

Sittwe (Akyab), Arakan- Delegates from UNOCHA, WFP, UNDP and UNFPA met internally displaced people at the camps in the village of Thakkay Pyin of Sittwe (Akyab) township around 9AM yesterday. They discussed on the severe humanitarian crises being faced by Rohingyas in the camps.

Day 4: Rohingya and Population Census in Arakan

2nd April 2014 

1- Sittwe (Akyab) Township, Arakan State

This morning, a team of census enumerators, of course with big group of security force and military as usual, visited the Rohingya IDP camps in the village of Thakkay-Pyin of Sittwe (Akyab) township. Authority threatened the displaced Rohingyas “if you agree to be registered as Bengali, we will provide you food and other necessary rations right now. Otherwise, we will cut off your channels to foods and medicines permanently.” Hence, to which an incharge of the camps replied “where on earth are we having enough food now? We are starving. The power of feeding someone or keeping someone starved is not in the hands of human beings but God. If you want to cut off channels providing rations to us, then do it. We won’t accept ‘Bengali,’ a term that is not related to us. We had better die as Rohingyas.” Therefore, the team left the village without surveying the census.

Rakhine Extremists Using Corpses to Destabalize Rohingya Areas

Sindhi Khan and CR

2^nd April 2014

Northern Maungdaw, Arakan- Rakhine (Magh) extremists in northern Maungdaw are using two dead bodies of Rakhines in different regions in northern Maungdaw to create unrest and trigger violence against Rohingyas again.

Military Extort Money from Rohingyas for Defending Properties

Sindhi Khan

1^st April 2014

Maungdaw, Arakan- A Myanmar military battalion commander is squeezing money from the villagers of Thit-Taw-Nar-Kwa-Sun and Razar Bill (Nan-Ra-Raing) in region 2, northern Maungdaw, for saving a home belongs to a Rohingya from getting torched by a group of extremist Buddhists.

Day 3: Rohingya and Population Census in Arakan

1st April 2014 

1- Maungdaw Township, Arakan State

Around 7:30AM today (on 1^st April 2014), a group of 100 Security Force (Hlun Hteins) and Police, 50 Rakhine (Magh) Census Enumertors and 20 Rohingya interpreters entered the village of Baggona in southern Maungdaw to survey census. They visited some households at the western Baggona and had conversations with the heads of the households.

The heads of the households asked “why are you here?”

The census group replied “we are here to survey census.”

Then, the heads said “we would take part in the census only when you are doing it according to the law and standard set by the government and give us the right to identify our own ethnic identity ‘Rohingya.”

To which the census group replied “we don’t have permission to do that yet. We will get the permission and come back.”

The heads of the households politely responded “we will warmly be welcoming you then. Thank you.”