KALADAN NEWS


Dated: July 30, 200

 

Increasing of Model Villages in Northern Arakan

 

Maungdaw, July 30: Increasing of model villages (Natala village) in northern Arakan by new settlers of Bangladeshi Buddhist minorities and Burmese from proper Burma, according to our sources from inside Arakan.

 

In 2nd week of June 2004, the Commander of Nasaka Sector Area No. 1 ordered to Village Peace and Development Council members (VPDC) and Rohingya villagers of Ye Aung Chaung (Rani), Kamauk Siek (Fakira Bazar) and Limsi villages, north of Maungdaw to establish new seven villages for newcomers in the area. At least 10 houses would be built in each village by the end of July 2004, sources further added. 

 

But, of them, 2 villages were completed on 13th July 2004, in which 22 families of Bangladeshi Buddhist from Chittagong Hill Tracts were settled on 15th July 2004. The rest houses were to be completed by the end of August. All the houses are made of good quality of wood, two storied and roofed by tin sheets while the government only provides tin sheets, according to a local schoolteacher.

 

Local people of Arakan State believe that new settlers would be increased in future from Bangladesh because of while Gen. Khin Nyunt visited Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh in April 2004, he might encouraged the local Buddhist community to migrate from Bangladesh to Burma, he further added. 

 

A villager said, “ We have to provide house-building materials, forced labor and farmlands for new comers. How long we can survive in this way. In addition, new settlers are the powerful and dare to do anything against the Rohingya people by backing of government authorities”.

 

Whenever new settlers force or give pressure on Rohingya villagers to provide them money, food items, etc, if the villagers fail, the new settlers make inhuman harassment to Rohingya villagers through the encouragement of Nasaka authorities, said another villager referring not to mention his name.

 

As a result, Rohingya people have no option except to leave the motherland. So, some of the villagers are preparing to take shelter in neighboring Bangladesh.

 

An elite Rohingya said, “SPDC is systematically occupying our lands and properties through new settlement policy and trying to remove all of our historical and ancient heritage, religion, culture and other remarkable things. # #

 

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