Maungdaw, Arakan State: Burma’s border security force, Nasaka, has been collecting arbitrary toll from villagers of Sarfadddin village (south and west) of Maungdaw Township, since October 20, said a schoolteacher, on condition of anonymity.
Since yesterday, a group of ten Nasaka personnel, led by a Deputy Immigration Officer (captain) from the nearby Nasakaoutpost camp, went to the said village and collected arbitrary toll from the villagers, by usurping the book, which has the list of all things and cattle owned by the house owner.
They collected Kyat 5,000 for a sewing machine, Kyat 5,000 for an engine boat, Kyat 5,000 for a fishing boat, Kyat 5,000 for a small rice mill, Kyat 5,000 for a shop, Kyat 5,000 for a motor-cycle, Kyat 5,000 for a betel garden, Kyat 5,000 for a shrimp project, Kyat 5,000 from a farmer, who has arable land, Kyat 2,000 per cow, Kyat 3,000 per buffalo and Kyat 1,000 per goat, the teacher added.
Nasaka targets the villagers of Sarfaddin village to extort money by any means because most of the men from this village had gone abroad and have foreign income. Therefore, frequently, Nasaka personnel go to this village and extort money from the villagers on false allegations such as--- owning mobile sets, traveling to Bangladesh, encouraging robbers and involvement in inhuman trafficking, said a student from the locality.
The SPDC’s policy is to destroy well- to-do families in villages of Rohingya people by extortion and other means. Without money, the Rohingya people would be destroyed culturally, socially, politically, educationally as well as their health would also break down, said a local trader, who did not mention his name.
This is the first time in Maungdaw Township, that the Nasaka authorities have arbitrarily collected toll from the villagers.
A villager said, “I have 20 cows, 10 goats, 10 acres of land, So, I have to pay Kyat 55,000 to the Nasaka. Where will I get this money?”
A widow from the village said, “I have two cows and four goats. So I have to pay Kyat 8,000. But, I have no money. I have to sell at least one cow.”
A village elder said, “How shall we survive in our village, after paying such toll to the Nasaka?”
