Kaladan News
Date:
Monday, July 5, 2004
A Religious Teacher Sentenced 3 Years imprisonment for
Human Trafficking
Buthidaung, July 5: A
religious teacher was sentenced to 3 years imprisonment for suspected
involvement in human trafficking by the Court of Buthidaung,
on 23th June
2004, according to our correspondent
The victim was Moulvi Mohammad Hussain, 79, son of Sayed Akber hailed from Nan Yah Gone village of Buthidaung Township in Arakan State,
he further added.
According to the villagers, Mv.Hussain
is an honest, poor man living at the said village since long. He has two
daughters to whom the youths of village wanted to marry but the father of the
girls didn’t agree with the youths. So, the youths of the village were angry
with the father. So, the youths wanted to make him trouble, said a relative of Moulvi Hussain.
On June 09, 2004,
Molvi Hussain together with
his younger daughter went to another village to visit his relatives after
getting permission from the Village Peace and Development Council Chairman
while a team of Nasaka has unexpectedly arrived to
their village to check the family lists of the village. So, he and his daughter
were absent from the checking of family list. This was known to the youths of
the village; therefore, they got chance and went to the MI–18 and told him that
the Moulvi Hussain and his
daughter were not going to visit their relatives;they went to Bangladesh
to send his daughter to Saudi Arabia,
he further added.
On hearing the news, on 11 June, the Moulvi
and his daughter came without delay to their village and informed to the
village Chairman.
As a result, on June
12, 2004, Molvi Hussain
went to meet MI-18 officer accompanied by village Chairman and appraised him
about his visit to relatives and showed travel documents. And also told him
that within a short period from June 9 to 11, how could he
manage up and down journey from Bangladesh.
So, the victim was allowed to go back home that day, said another villager to
our source.
But, on June 19,
2004, the victim was again called to MI-18 office to query about
human trafficking matter. On that day, he disclosed that his daughter was once
proposed by a youth of Saudi Arabia
(originally from Arakan
State) to marry but he didn’t agree
with him. As a result, he was arrested and sent to the police station and kept
in police custody, he further added.
However, on June
23, 2004, he was brought to the court of Buthidaung Township, there he was sentenced to 3 years
imprisonment by accusing him involvement of human trafficking without any
proper trial. Now, he is in Buthidaung Jail, said his
wife to our source.
Trafficking of women and children is one of the most
serious human rights issues of South Asia it has widespread consequences on
societies. ##
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