Kaladan News

Dated: Monday, October 11, 2004

Nasaka Arrested a 3-Member of Mosque Committee for not Complying Order

Maungdaw, October11: Nasaka (Burmese- Border Security Force) arrested a 3 -member of mosque committee for not complying the order of Nasaka to destroy a mosque of their village at Maungdaw Township in Arakan State, western Burma, a villager of this area said.

In the first week of September 2004, Col.Tun Tun Oo, the Commander of the Nasaka Sector No. 6 of Maungdaw Township ordered the villagers of Zun Baina to destroy the ancient mosque. But the villagers didn’t comply the order of the Nasaka, the villager further added.

So, the Nasaka arrested Zahir Ahmed, 56, son of Omor Abbas, Molvi Zakaria, 52, son of Lukman Hakim and Abul Khasim, 54, son of Tanda Meah on 25^th September 2004 because of their leading role in not complying the Nasaka’s order. The victims all hail from Zun Baina village of Maungdaw Township. Afterwards, they were detained at the Nasaka camp, said another villager.

However, the arrestees were released on 2^nd October 2004 after bribing Kyat- 1.5 million to the concerned authority. But, the order is not withdrawn and the mosque still exists. This is an ancient mosque in the village built with concrete and roofed with tin-sheets, he further added.

Earlier six years ago, the commander of the same Nasaka Sector gave permission for renovation and a little bit extension of the mosque after taking bribe Kyat-150, 000/- from villagers. Again, in August 2004, the present Nasaka Sector Commander ordered the villagers to abolish the aforesaid mosque but this order was withdrawn after giving bribes Kyat-100, 000/-, said a schoolteacher from the village.

On September 22, 2004, the Maungdaw Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) General Secretary U Soe Win issued a notice, in which he mentioned that--- 4-coppy of photos, list of the committee members, in come sources, land and other relevant documents of religious schools, Mosques, Temples, Mondirs and churches of Maungdaw Township---would be submitted to the TPDC office by the end of this month, the teacher further added.

A student declined to mention his name, said, “ To collect all the religious building lists is nothing but to deceive the Rohingya people and the international community to show them, the SPDC authorities don’t take action not only the Muslims’ religious buildings but also other religions. But, their main target is Rohingya Muslims’ religious buildings”.

The TPDC authorities of Maungdaw Township recently formed some groups to query of the religious schools, mosques, Buddhist temples, Hindu temples (Mondirs) and churches of Maungdaw Township. Some of the groups went to the villages and collecting the data about the religious buildings, the teacher further said.

SPDC authorities are engaged to destroy the religious schools and mosques across the country where the Muslims are densely populated, particularly in northern Arakan since 1994, an elderly man said.

The SPDC is erecting Buddhist temples and pagodas in minority areas such as northern Arakan, Chin State by extracting forced labor and donations, while the SPDC is destroying other non-Buddhist religious building, the elderly man further added.

On 12 and 13 of August 2004, Nasaka authorities forcefully destroyed 9 mosques at Buthidaung Township in Asrakan State, western Burma. ##

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