Maungdaw, Arakan State: Burma’s border security force, Nasaka seized 33 bags of salt and arrested 11 Rohingyas on March 23, according to a villager from Maungdaw Township.

The arrested people were trying to take 33 bags of salt from Maungnama salt field to Bawli Bazaar to sell in the market.

But, Nasaka personnel from Aung Mingla outpost under Nasaka headquarters went to the Maung Nama salt field and seized all the salt and took it to their outpost after being tipped off.

Following their arrest, they were tortured and beaten up by Nasaka personnel in the outpost, sources said.

The Nasaka personnel demanded a huge sum of money for them to be released.

Nasaka personnel have been exploiting salt producers of Maungdaw Township.  Since January 5, Nasaka ordered salt producers to sell their produce to the Nasaka agents at lower than market prices, so the Rohingyas cannot take the salt from one village to another. It has to be sold to the Nasaka agents at lower prices, said a salt producer in Maungdaw Township.

A local farmer in Maugdaw Township said, “We work very hard in the salt fields and produce salt to get some profit, but we don’t get any benefit from the production as we have to sell it to the Nasaka’s agents at lower prices.”