Maungdaw, Arakan State: The Burmese Army’s engineering unit, brought to Maungdaw Township for supervising border fence construction, is harassing, torturing, raping, collecting toll and troubling local people whenever they want like gangsters in northern Arakan, according to the village authorities.

The engineering unit personnel care for nobody, when they want something, the village authority alleged.

On January 11, two engineering unit officers (Captain Than Zin and other) insulted and teased women school teachers where they were passing near the cooking place of a school prize giving ceremony in the State High School of Ngakura village, under Maungdaw Township at 22:00 hours, said a parent in Ngakura village.

“Maj. Thurin Zaw, the commanding officer of the Burmese border security force (Nasaka) number 5, and Colonel Htin Linn, the commander of Tactical Operation Commands (TOCs) were invited as guests and the Nasaka commander and TOC commander distributed the prizes (One Television, one bicycle and other prizes) to the students and the two officer went back to the station at 20:00 hours,” the parent said.

“The officers were drunk and teasing women teachers. U Kyaw Hla, the assistant headmaster heard the lewd comments and requested them to stop raising tensions,” the parent added.

“A quarrel began and the two officers were beaten up by teachers and parents until the Nasaka intervened,” the parent added.

In front of local people, teachers and students, they were insulting and teasing the women teachers, caring for nobody, said a member of the school committee.

Besides, the engineering army unit has been using forced labour of villagers for erecting the fence. Some of the troops have been staying in Daung Khali village of Nasaka area No.7 of Maungdaw Township to monitor the construction of the fence, said a local youth requesting not to be named.  

The army unit forcibly transported 40 villagers from nearby villages and sent them to the work site for five days. After five days, they were released and another 40 villagers were taken to the work site where barbed wire fence is being erected.  The forced labour was organized by local Village Peace and Development Council Chairmen. Villagers are not willing to work there because of harassment by the army though they get daily wages.

The Burmese Army’s engineering unit tortured fishermen and extorted money from them on December 29 alleging that they had sold fish to buyers on the River Naff, said a close relative of an arrested fisherman.  

Similarly on December 26, six fishermen were forcibly brought to the work site, while they were going to Naff River for fishing. They were also severely tortured because of their reluctance to work on the fence. They were forced to work in the construction site, and were brought to Mangala Kyi middle school after finishing their work, where the engineering army unit is based and brutally tortured again.  Later, they were released after promising that they will pay Kyat 5,000 each. The local VPDC members had to give verbal guarantee for the fishermen for the promised money the following day, said a relative of a fisherman.  

The engineering unit has also been collecting tax from people carrying goods from Maungdaw when crossing their temporary base.

Moreover, on December 25, the army extorted Kyat 35,000 from a butcher who took a cow to Mangala Gyi from Maungdaw Town and had a legal license from the government. He was also asked to give 5-Viss (one Viss = 1. 63 kg) of meat to them after it was slaughtered, said a friend of the victim.  

For instance, on December 24, at about 11 a.m. when Rohingya labourers were preparing for lunch by washing faces and legs, the engineering army unit commander Captain Myo Win beat up one of the workers severely, alleging that he had stopped work before lunch time when actually he had stopped work like others for having lunch. Every day, they take lunch at the same, said one of the workers at the work site.