Maungdaw, Arakan State: Burma’s border security force (Nasaka) arrested, forced to work, tortured and fined sentries in Maungdaw Township on July 15, without any reason, said a local leader on condition of anonymity.

A section of Nasaka personnel from Naribill village out-post of Maungdaw Township went to the Naribill village and arrested village sentries. They were tortured and fined Kyat 1,000 a head. The Nasaka also took a big cock from each as fine. On that day, there were six sentries at the sentry post. One big cock costs Kyat 700 in the market.

Rohingyas are forced to act as sentries on an unending basis in northern Arakan. Most of the households in rural areas have to provide one individual for sentry duty, one to two nights a week and sometimes also during the day, sources said.

Sentries are mainly sent to sentry posts at the entrance of their villages or particular roads and ordered to watch and report all the activities from night to morning.

The authorities claim that sentry duty is needed for the protection of villagers. There has not, however been any activity of rebel groups. Sentry duty is used as a means for extortion and harassment of the Rohingya villagers.

The sentry duty is among the most frightening of forced labour because it is accompanied by extortion and physical abuse, said a trader who denied to be named.

Members of the police, army and Nasaka regularly patrol and ensure whether the sentries are awake during their shift by silently approaching their post.

If the sentries do not react and ask who goes there, they are accused of being asleep on duty and physically punished, fined or compelled to provide some days or one day of additional forced labour without any food, said a local businessman.

If the sentries react and ask who is approaching, they are blamed for not doing their work properly and punished for not recognizing the Nasaka on patrol.

Sentry work is mainly carried out by men. Sometimes women have been forced to do sentry duty when their husbands or sons are absent or unable to do duty, the businessman added.

The sentries are illegally arrested, tortured and fined by the Nasaka. They are mostly poor villagers and there is no one to advocate their suffering to the higher authorities.  So those villagers endure silently.

Why do the junta authorities harass the Rohingya community? Today, the world is like a big village because of globalization. Why do the authorities dare to treat the Rohingya community this way? asked an elder from Maungdaw town.