NASAKA COMMITTED SERIES OF ROBBERY

Maungdaw, July 19: On 1st July 2003, Nasaka (Border Security Force) troops had looted a shrimp culture project in Loun Don village of Maungdaw township, Arakan State, Burma, said a schoolteacher to our correspondent.

It was at 12 midnight that a section of twelve Nasaka personnel, belonging to Attay Pruma Nasaka camp in Nasaka Area No. (5) went to the said project in the guise of dacoits and looted cash, shrimps, fishing nets and other materials worth about Kyat 125,000/-, he further said.

Although the project workers had resisted they could not stop the armed looters.The next morning, the case was reported to the concerned Nasaka authority, but no action has yet been taken against the culprits, said a relative to the owner of the project to our source.

Earlier, in the dead of night on 13th May 2003, seven Nasaka forces from Nasaka

Area No. (4) of Maungdaw Township, had looted another shrimp farm of U Maung Than of Ye Twin Pyin ( Kowarbil) village, in Maungdaw north, said a Rakhine villager to our source.

While protesting the armed robbers, three of the watchmen at the project site received bullet injuries. They were two Rakhines and one Rohingya. But the Nasaka did not allow all the three wounded to go for medical treatment lest it might expose their involvement in the crime, he further added. However, the looters could not take away anything from the shrimp project.

The following morning the owner U Maung Than, accompanied by village chairman and VPDC members, reported the matter to the concerned Nasaka camp authority, but no action was taken against the culprits, said an ex-schoolteacher to our source.

In another development, on 24th April 2003, Nasaka troops had committed a robbery at a shrimp farm of Auk Pruma (Kasarbil) village in Maungdaw Township, said a villager to our correspondent preferring not to mention his name.

On that day, at about 10:00 pm, ten Nasaka personnel belonging to Nasaka Area No. (5) went to the shrimp farm owned by one Mohamed Zakaria, 57, pretending themselves as dacoits and looted cash, fishing nets, shrimps, pots and other fishing materials worth about Kyat 200,000/, the source further added.

During the course of robbery, the Nasaka forces severely beat all those who were there in the project site, including the watchmen, said another village old man to our source.

The next morning, although the owner of the shrimp culture project had apprised the concerned Nasaka camp officer of the matter, no action was taken against the culprits, the source further added. ##