Maungdaw, Arakan State: The number of village sentry posts in Maungdaw Township has increased during the month of Ramadan (the Muslim holy fasting month) in order to harass the Rohingya community in Arakan State, said a religious leader from Maungdaw on condition of anonymity.
“For instance, in Pawet Chaung Village of Maungdaw Township, the Nasaka authority added two sentry posts in the village. Earlier, it had only four sentry posts, but now, it has six sentry posts. Villagers have to send four persons per sentry post, so that they have to send 24 villagers in one night for sentry duty.”
“The sentries have to watch the whole village from 8 pm to 5 am, without sleeping the whole night. Meanwhile, the Nasaka (Burma ’s border security force), police, or military check the village sentry posts and give punishment without finding any faults. Sometimes, the sentry men are brought to the Nasaka camp or army camp and forced to work in the camp without being provided any food. Sometimes, the authorities extort money or forcibly take livestock from them.”
In the said village, 24 villagers have to go to the sentry posts at night to provide sentry every day. These sentry men are barred from fasting at night because they are not allowed to go home for having food, and they are also barred from praying Namaz (prayer) at night. This is a great religious violation, said a local villager who prefers not to be named.
“There are no rebellion groups in Arakan, but the authorities concerned force the villagers to watch for rebel groups.”
Sentry posts have not only been increased at the said village, but also in villages across Maungdaw Township. Because of the increased sentry posts, the local villagers have been suffering more and more difficulties during the holy month of Ramadan.
“It is not necessary to provide more sentries in the villages. It is only a kind of harassment against the local Rohingya villagers,” said a local trader who did not identify his name.
