Maungdaw, Arakan State: Office staff at the Maungdaw Administration Office have been blocking local people from meeting the township administration officer in Maungdaw, said a village administration officer from Maungdaw.
“The office boys – Maung Maung Chay, Htun Naing and Hla Win – have been working in the Maungdaw Administration Office for the last ten years without shifting anywhere from their posts at the office.”
“The office boys are carrying files from one place to another inside the office and watching the door of the officer’s room. Anyone who needs to meet with the officer must first pay money to the office boys to enter the officer’s room.”
“The office boys are all members of the Rakhine community, and they are harassing the people – especially members of the Rohingya community – who visit the office,” said an elder from Maungdaw.
“The village administration officers need to meet the officer every month in the office to report the situation of their village to the officer, but the office boys prevent the village administration officers from entering the officer’s room until they pay money.”
The office boys also give ideas about how to extort money from the local people, with the office boys going as bodyguards of the township officer, and asking for money from local for township officers when the officer visits any place in the rural areas.
“The township officer is silent when his office boys are talking with the local people about money to settle their cases with him. This is the duty of the office boys from the Maungdaw Township Administration Office.”
