KALADAN PRESS NETWORK

Dated. August 17,2002.

A ROHIYA GIRL RAPED BY BURMESE ARMY

By Our Correspondent

Akyab, August 16: Miss Sakina Khatoon, age 23,daughter

of Mohamed Modu hailed from Ambari village of

Akyab(Sittwe), the capital of the Arakan State was

raped by an army on 23th July 2002 and  is still set

free, said a relative of victim.

According to the relative and local traders of the

area, at about 09:30 pm a soldier of Burma Army

Battalion No.20 of Akyab came to the shop of Sakina

Khatoon while she was alone in the shop by pretending

a customer. Taking the advantage of none was present

there and also the rain was falling cat and dog at

that time, the culprit quickly switched off the light

entering the shop and forcibly raped the girl with

dagger point. It is learnt that some shops were built

near the Army Headquarters by the main street and not

far away from the Ambari Rohingya village.

After sometime, hearing the hue and cry several

shopkeepers who rushed to the spot to rescue the

victim, but the culprit managed to escape from the

scene in the cover of darkness, the local traders

further said.

Next morning, the matter was reported to the concerned

authority of the Battalion No.20, but the

officer-in-charge of the investigation centre in the

Army Headquarters refused to take the case. The Army

Headquarters also verbally ordered concerned police

station not to register the FIR in this regard, said

another relative of the victim. #