Maungdaw, Arakan State: Over 500 acres of arable land, which were returned to Rohingya farmers last year, were confiscated yet again by Maungdaw Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) in the first week of June for Natala villagers, said a local farmer on condition of anonymity.

The land was seized from Rohingya farmers of Wabeg and Kawar Bill village tracts of Maungdaw Township for Natala villagers on June 15 last year by TPDC.

After seizing the land, it was distributed to Aung Thaya Natala (Model) villagers to grow paddy. But they lack knowledge of cultivation. So the Natala villagers want to lease it to the original Rohingya farm owners. Natala villagers do not want to till farm lands. They prefer to loot goods and to steal cattle from Rohingya villagers with the encouragement of the police, Nasaka, Army and Sarapa (Military Intelligence), said a trader.

The Aung Thaya Natala village has only 130 houses, of which 50 houses are for Rakhine and the rest 80 are for Burman, who were brought from Burma proper to north Arakan. The idea is to make Rohingya farmers landlessness and convert Natala villagers into land owners.

Last year, the Natala villagers tried to force the Rohingya villagers to grow paddy, but the latter refused. So, the Natala villagers brought it to the notice of the Township Peace and Development Council (TPDC) Chairman of Maungdaw Township. The TPDC Chairman ordered the Rohingya villagers to take the land from Natala villagers and grow paddy on their behalf. The Rohingiya farmers did not comply with the order, said a local businessman.

But, later, the TPDC returned the lands to the owners to grow paddy last year.  After which the farmers grew paddy last year. But, this year in June, the TPDC authorities again seized the lands from the Rohingya farmers and distributed it to the Aung Thaya Natala villagers to grow paddy. The TPDC authorities provided one tractor to the Natala villagers to plough the lands.  

In the second week of this month, a Rohingya boy was stabbed by Natala villagers while he was watching the tilling of land with a tractor. This incident was communicated to the Regional Development Association (RDA) of Maungdaw town, which was established recently by the regime authorities. The members of RDA will solve the problem, said a local elder.

Another local elder said, “The attitude of the authorities is outrageous because they are trying to force Rohingya farmers to grow paddy in the confiscated lands on behalf of Natala villagers.”

The authorities plan to make Rohingya farmers landlessness, said a former school teacher preferring not to be named.

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