Maungdaw, Arakan State: A Rohingya delegation, made up of seven members, arrived in northern Arakan from Rangoon on March 31. They are under orders from the military junta to go to northern Arakan to monitor development programs for the Rohingya community, said a businessman on condition of anonymity.
The delegation members are Aung Zaw Win of Nga Khura village, Haji Yunus of Fayazi Para, Nurul Amin of Ludaing Para and Zahidur Rahman of Habi Para. They all belong to Maungdaw Township. Three other remembers are from Buthidaung Township.
They came to Arakan from Rangoon to help the Rohingya community in the sectors of agriculture, education, health, water and sanitation. They collected some money in Rangoon from the Rohingya community for the development programs of the Rohingya living in northern Arakan.
In the meantime, they (delegation) will try to persuade local people to establish the nomenclature “Bengali people” in place of “Rohingya people” by offering some social welfare development programs in the Rohingya community.
The regime has been trying to establish the name of “Bengali people” for political reasons instead of “Rohingya People” for a long time. But, the local Rohingya community has rejected the junta’s offer.
Recently, after the “boat- people” crisis on the Andaman Sea, the Burmese military junta openly said that there was no Rohingya, there is no Rohinhya, and there will be no Rohingya in Arakan. But, some “Bengali people” have been living in Arakan for a long time.
The Burmese ruling junta has been in recent times trying to establish the nomenclature -- “Bengali people” in Arakan in place of “Rohingya people” through some pro-junta Rohingya leaders. These leaders are being given some facilities or are being threatened indirectly. So, some pro-junta Rohingya leaders arrived in Arakan recently and are working towards this. It is not clear how they will mobilize the local Rohingya people and to what extent they will succeed.
They will stay for some days in Arakan to implement their goal among the Rohingya people and the concerned junta authorities will observe the situation.
Before the arrival of the Deputy Home minister Phone Swe and the Rohingya delegation to northern Arakan, the District Peace and Development Council (DPDC) Chairman, Township PDC Chairman and Village PDC members held a three-day meeting in Sri Mangla Hall. During the meeting they discussed the matter with the Rohingya delegation and what the villagers had to say to them. Besides, they discussed the situation of northern Arakan. The Deputy Home minister arrived in Maungadw on March 31, said a close aide of a TPDC official.
On April 2, a meeting was held in Sri Magala Hall in Maungdaw Town with all Village Peace and Development Council (VPDC) Chairmen and concerned local authorities at about 9 am. At the meeting, the Deputy Home Minister Phone Swe said there are only Burmese nationals not others living here. “If any one asks you (those living in Arakan) what your nationality is, all the people have to say that all are Burmese nationals”, he was quoted as saying.
At the meeting, the minister provided Kyat 50,000 to Powet Chaung village tract Chairma for a drinking water storage project, Kyat 80,000 to Kawar Bill village tract Chairman for building a middle school, and Kyat 1.2 million to Aung ManGala village Tract for building a school.
The Rohingya delegation will provide all possible assistance for the programs to be taken up by the ruling military junta according to the proposal of local people for the people’s welfare. It will accord priority for the implementations of its pledges. The military junta has given priority to sectors such as agriculture, education, health, water and sanitation.
On March 3, they (Rohingya delegation) will hold a meeting in Nga Khura village Tract of Maungdaw Township with the participation of Nasaka Director of Gyikan Pyin (Kawar Bill), and the Military Operation Command (MOC)-15 Commander and other concerned local officers. One of the members of the Rohingya delegation in the meeting asked the Rohingya participants to say “Bengali People” in place of “Rohingya people” if any one asked, said a local trader from Maungdaw Town.
Today, on March 4, they will hold a meeting in Donsay Para of Rathedaung Township with the participants of local officers and Rohingya community. Some of the Maulanas from Maungdaw town are invited to attend the meeting and to give lectures in the meeting, said a villager from southern side of Maungadw.
