KALADAN NEWS

Dated: June 8, 2005

Buddhist buried at Muslim Cemetery in Northern Arakan

Taungbro, Burma, June 8: A dead body or corpse of Rakhaing Buddhist from Taungbro Left Natala Rowa (model village) was buried at the Muslim cemetery on June 03, 2005, according to a villager of Taungbro Left.

The Rakhaing Buddhist was identified as Soe Naing who was serving as a police inspector at the police camp of Taungbro left.

In the midnight of June 2, he heavily drank alcohol and fell into senseless and later, he was dead early in the morning of that day.

The corpse was burnt into ashes according to their Buddhist culture and buried at a Muslim cemetery of the village (northern side) abusing the religious customs, while some Muslim Rohingyas were forced to take part in the Buddhist funeral occasion.

“There are separate cemeteries of Muslims and Buddhists in Arakan. If a Buddhist is dead he is buried in the Buddhist cemetery while the Muslim corpse is buried in the Muslim cemetery. It is the customs between our two sister communities, which we maintain since long,” said an elder of the village.

He left behind a son and daughter, and his wife to mourn his death. His family was brought from a southern township of Arakan State and settled in a model village there for a few years back.

When asked a Muslim Rohingya, why the Muslim Rohingya community to be participated in a Buddhist funeral, “ He says, a police officer compelled us to participate in the funeral by saying that the region will become a Buddhist region very soon, so, you Rohingyas must participate such Buddhists funeral in near future. As a result, you (Rohingyas) have to practice Buddhist culture from now.” # #

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