Maungdaw,Arakan State: Nasaka, Burma’s border security force in Kawarbill, Maungdaw Township has been providing ID cards for fishing to fishermen in Maungdaw Township as of April 13, said a local fisherman on condition of anonymity.

Nasaka headquarters Director Lt. Col Aung Gyi has collected Kyat 500 from each fisherman through Nasaka aides. The fishermen catch fish from rivers, the sea, streams, shrimp projects and dams.

With many fishermen in Maungdaw Township, Nasaka stands to amass a significant amount of money. This is a lucrative business for the Nasaka Headquarters, said a businessman.

Nasaka, police, Sarapa (Military Intelligence), army and other concerned authorities are always trying to figure out how to extort money from the Rohingya community. Especially, the army and Nasaka were sent to northern Arakan with inadequate salaries so that they can make money from villagers to cope with the expenses for their families. Some of the Nasaka and Sarapa officers have already sent a lot of money or gold ornaments to Rangoon through their agents, the businessman added.

On the ID cards, the authorities have penned Bengali in the column under Nationality instead of Rohingya.

Some Nasaka aides or collaborators had advised the Nasaka Director to collect money by providing ID cards to the fishermen.

Meanwhile, the Nasaka Director told villagers that new couples will get marriage permits from local authorities (village chairman) instead of the Nasaka camp. Red colour National ID cards will be issued to the Rohingya community in future, the authorities will allow building of mosques and permit its renovation and the ID cards will be issued in the name of Bengali Muslims or Myanmar Muslims, said a local school teacher.