Maungdaw, Arakan State: Police officers from the district police department are harassing the Rohingya community in Maungdaw after the district police chief went to Akyab (Sittwe), according to an aide from the district police office.
“Police Inspector Maung Maung Myint summoned Rohingya community members to his office where he made allegations that they are working as drug (Yaba) traffickers and asked them to pay only bamboo for the police force.”
“He asked for around 200–400 pieces of bamboo where the price of bamboo is 40,000–50,000 kyats per one hundred pieces.”
“The Rohingya who are not able to pay the bamboo will be arrested on charges of drug trafficking. Officer Maung Maung Myint is only receiving the money, not the bamboo,” said an elder from Maungdaw.
“Most of the Rohingya who are not able to pay the money to the police are taking out loans with interest from Rakhine businessmen who are giving loans against their home or land.”
“With this system, so many Rohingya people have lost their homes or land and are leaving from town to rural areas.”
