Kaladan Press Network

Dated: July 15, 2002

MILITARY ATTACKS ON MOSQUE AND VILLAGERS

By Our Correspondent

Buthidaung, 15 July: On 10th June 2002, at about 4:20

pm 4 army personnel equipped with knives and swords in

civil dresses attacked the mosque and villagers of

“Saan Gana”(Thin Ga Net) village tract, about 12 miles

north of Buthidaung while praying, including the Imam

(the religious leader leading the prayer) of the

mosque without provocation, said a villager from Saan

Ganavillage who recently crossed the border.

The army personnel belonging to LIB No.551 of

Buthidaung township had suddenly came to the said

village and attacked the village mosque, beat and

tortured the devotees, demolished the mosque walls,

ransacked the holy Qur’an and other holy books and

destroyed whatever was found inside the mosque. At one

stage, when it became intolerable, the villagers

saying the prayers inside the mosque fell upon two of

the culprits and the other two could manage to escape

from the scene, he further added.

On information, a section of army rushed to the spot

while beating and torturing the villagers all through

the way from their camp to the place of occurrence.

The army also went to a house of one Abdus Salam of

the village where a marriage ceremony was being held

and started indiscriminate beating. Many people were

injured who included old men and women. Meanwhile,

some of the participants were arrested and carried

away to the army camp, he further said.

The next day, that is on 11th June, the Chairman and

Secretary of the Village PDC together with the some

villagers went to the Nasaka, Military Intelligence

(MI) and police of Taung Bazar of Buthidaung townshiop

and apprised them of the event. They all advised them

to inform the matter to the Military Operation Command

(MOC) No. 15 stationed at Dabru Chaung under

Buthidaung Township. But on information, the Commander

of MOC asked the villagers to pinpoint the accused for

action to be taken by police, said a source from Dabru

Chaung.

From 14th June, under the pretext of inquiry, the

police and the army frequently visited the village,

arrested and tortured the villagers leaving a number

of them injured. The arrested persons were implicated

in the case and were detained in the camp until

payment of ransoms, said a police source.  

Again on 24th June, 4 Rohingyas of the same village

were arrested and detained by the army. They were:

Noor Hossain, 50, S/o Late Abu Taleb, VPDC Chairman,

Mohammd Idris S/o Akhtar Kamal, 35, Secretary of VPDC,

Noor Mohammd S/o Abul Khair, 51, member of VPDC,

Shamsu, 35, Chairman of Ma-Ba-Ka (a newly formed

village reporting committee). All of them were

tortured and were later released on medical grounds

but on condition that they would be present before the

military when asked for, said another villager.

It is reported that still the villagers have been

taken by surprise and implicated in the case. Many

villagers have gone into hiding to escape arrest. They

include Moulvi Mohamed Yunus, 28, S/o Sayed Hussain,

Mohammed Tuha, 27, S/o Jalal Ahmed, Ahmed Hussain, 50,

and two sons of Abu Sayed, aged 23 and 25 years, the

villager further added.

Editor

Kaladan Press