Maungdaw, Arakan State: Burma’s Engineering Army (GE) destroyed seven shops, looting goods and severely beating Rohingya shopkeepers, in Fokira Bazar of Maungadaw North on the night of December 29 as a New Year’s greeting to the Rohingya community, according to a local elder who asked not to be named.
“Six army personnel led by Captain Thet Min from the GE battalion, who came to Maungdaw to supervise the construction of the Burma-Bangladesh barbed wire fence, went to the Fokira Bazar Market while heavily drunk. The army ransacked the market and looted goods from the shops without any provocation from the show owners on December 29 at about 10 pm.”
“When the shopkeepers tried to defend their shops and market together, more soldiers came to the market in a truck and destroyed seven shops completely, looting many goods and severely beating many shopkeepers.”
“Local people informed about the incident to the military camp, which is established permanently at Fokira Bazar.”
After destroying shops and looting goods, the GE soldiers went back to their camp and were halted by permanent soldiers in the area. The GE soldiers were beaten by the permanent soldiers and sent to their camp, said a local elder who declined to be named.
The permanent camp commander Lt. Col. Than Naing and the commander of GE military camp held a meeting regarding the incident. The two commanders decided that Captain Thet Min, who led the event, would be transferred to Buthidaung Township. The commanders also decided to pay Kyat 100,000 to each of the shopkeepers as compensation.
“Why does the GE army destroy shops, looting goods and severely beating Rohingya shopkeepers, without any provocation?” asked a local schoolteacher.
“We are at least happy now because of the immediate action taken against the culprits,” said a local trader.
