Seven villagers that were detained by Nasaka (Burma’s border security force) for constructing a fence around a pond used for drinking water were released after paying bribes of 20,000 Kyat per person, according to sources who spoke to Kaladanpress on conditions of anonymity.
The villagers were arrested on the night of March 2 while building the disputed fence near Ngaen Chaung in Maungdaw Township, Arakan state. The fencing project was being constructed with the support of INGO Malteser International that was helping the neighboring villages gain access to pure drinking water.
Some of the detainees have been identified as: Anayatur Rahman, 28, and Anwar, 37; both sons of Rashid, Noor Alam, 40, son of Furuk Ahmad and Mujib Ullah, 17; son of Yusuf.
Many Rohingyas claim that Nasaka and other state authorities have been using last year’s sectarian violence to make false allegations with the intent of lining their pockets with money generated from extortion.
