Maungdaw traffic police officer Than Htay has been collecting money from Rohingya motorcyclists since April 5, for the Buddhist New Year water festival in Maungdaw Township, said a motorcyclist.
He has been collecting Kyat 10,000 to 15,000 per motorcycle in Maungdaw Township.
The New Year water festival started from April 13, in Burma, but it will be held on April 17, in Maungdaw Township for three days.
Local Rakhine leaders are building water festival pavilions for playing with water or throwing water on each other during the water festival in Maungdaw Township.
The authorities ordered not to build water festival pavilions near the Maungdaw market or bazaar, so local Rakhines are building them near Maungdaw’s big mosque which is situated at Police line. There will be three other pavilions, one at Shikder Para village (District Peace and Development Council), the second near Military Intelligent office (Sarafa)and the third is in front of Tha Zin Bording. The pavilions have to be built on orders of local Nasaka authorities, said a local elder from Maungdaw Town.
Regarding the construction of pavilions near mosques, local Rohingya people are worried that untoward problems may occur between mosque goers and Rakhine people who will be throwing water on each other. During the festival, most of the youths and elders have liquor and may attack Rohingya mosque goers.
Some of the Rohingya elders apprised local Rakhine elders, but they did not pay any heed, said a businessman from Maungdaw Town.
Recently, Burmese Prime Minister Then Sein and the Deputy Home Minister Phone Swe visited north Arakan accompanied by some Rohingya businessmen from Rangoon, regarding the forthcoming election. So, local Rakhine people are angry with Rohingyas.
As a result, the local Rakhine people may create problems during the festival because of envy and hatred towards the Rohingya community for getting facilities from SPDC authorities.
Consequently, the local Rohingya people in Maungdaw town are anxious about trouble during the festival between two sister communities Rakhine and Rohingya, said a schoolteacher.
