Buthidaung, Burma: A villager was severely beaten up by soldiers of the Burmese Army on April 19 after seeking justice against another villager who borrowed money from the victim in Buthidaung Township, Arakan State, Burma, said a close relative of the victim who asked not to be named.
The victim is identified as Mohamed Enus (32), son of Nago, who hails from Mraung Naa village of Buthidaung Township.
One year ago, the plaintiff Enus lent 30,000 kyats to a villager named Ali of the same village. Ali is also a Nasaka collaborator and has a close relationship with Village Administration Office (VAO)) members, said another villager from the locality.
“However, on April 17, the plaintiff asked Ali to pay back the money which was borrowed one year ago, but he did not pay the money. Therefore, Enus went to the VAO members and appraised the matter, but the VAO members didn’t take any action against the defendant.”
“As a result, on April 19, the plaintiff again went to Light Infantry Battalion (LIB) No. 233, which has been in charge of security for the village. Enus again appraised the matter to a captain of the said battalion. The defendant Ali was summoned to the camp to clear up the matter.”
“Before going to the army camp, the defendant, along with VAO members, made an artificial decision with back date in an attempt to show that the plaintiff Enus had been paid this money earlier. This case was not real and created by the plaintiff to harass the Ali.” When the captain received the documents from the VAO members, the captain was very angry, and the plaintiff was beaten up very severely—almost to death,” said a village elder from the locality.
“The victim was in very serious condition, so he was immediately brought to the Buthidaung General Hospital, where the duty doctors declared that the patient would likely die in a few days. So, the victim was refused admittance to the hospital.”
On April 20, the LIB Battalion No. 233 Commander, the Township Administration Office l (TAO), and VAO members went to the hospital and observed the situation of the victim, and the Commander handed over the victim to the members of the VAO.
“The victim is innocent, lost his money, and will die soon. The army tortured the victim severely without inquiring about the details of the matter,” said a local trader on condition of anonymity.
A village businessman who declined to be named said, “We want an inquiry into this matter again, and the real culprits have to be punished according to the law.”
