Narinjara news
Renewed forced relocation
of villagers in Arakan State of Burma
Maungdaw, 25 Jun. 02:
Thirty-nine families of a village in north-western part of Arakan State in
Burma were relocated between June 7 and 16, a village councillor
in the area told our correspondent.
The villagers hailing from Zedibraung village under Laungdung village tract of
The relocation has left the villagers landless and homeless. Though the
monsoons are in full swing now, they have been left with no pieces of
agricultural land to do cultivation, the only profession they have been grown
up with. Besides, due to the torrential rains, the villagers have been facing
much difficulty in building houses in the new location which is situated in the
inaccessible parts of the township where there are practically no road links,
and materials like bamboo, timber and thatch for building houses are not
available in the nearby hills and environs.
When asked a villager who was being relocated told our correspondent that, the Nasaka border security forces have evacuated the villagers
in response to the murder of four Nasaka members with
a prostitute in November last in the camp close to the village. The murderers
decamped with the arms and ammunitions in the camp. As no evidence or clue has
been found that could lead to the arrest of the murderers even after illegal
detention and physical torture of many of the villagers including women and
teenagers, the security forces have again and again alleged that the four
villagers who have been absconding ever since the incident were the murderers.
They have also alleged that the four villagers have crossed the border with the
arms and ammunitions. The Nasaka have also been
allegedly accusing the villagers as accomplices of the murderers.
“For this reason the act of relocation was done as an act of retaliation of a
murder we the villagers even don't have a hint of,” the villagers demanded. #