Buthidaung, Arakan State: The Burmese Army has been using forced labor of villagers in Buthidaung Township since the beginning of this month for paddy cultivation in the confiscated lands of Rohingya people, said a farmer.

Army battalion No. 551 in Khoya Sari village of Buthidaung Township has been using forced labor of the villages of Handaung, Kuin Daung, Sarakuni, Sein Daung, Phone Yu Hlake and Dabru Chaung to grow paddy.

Daily, every village has to provide 10 to 15 villagers to the army camp. As a result, everyday, 60 villagers have to go to the camp to provide forced labor for the cultivation of paddy on the lands confiscated earlier for the army’s business.

They have to till the lands bringing cattle from their village, grow seedlings, grow paddy, transfer the seedlings and do other necessary work for paddy cultivation.

It is peak time for farmers for growing their own paddy, whereas the army is using their labor, making it difficult for the farmers, said a businessman from the town.

The presence of the military and Nasaka (Burma’s border security force) in north Arakan has placed an even greater burden on the Rohingyas as the security forces have become the main users of forced labor, said a local trader.

A local elder said, “Without taking into account that villagers of north Arakan have been suffering from recent floods and landslides, the army is using forced labor violating human rights of the Rohingya community.”

The imposition of forced labor on the civilian population in Burma has been documented for many years, and monitored closely by the International Labor Organization (ILO) for more than a decade.  But, the junta is still using forced labor from people across the country.