A relative of one of the arrested told Narinjara that the Nasaka forces from Area No.3 stationed in Taungbro in northern Maungdaw Township arrested the three the night of the 21st of August 2011. They took them from their residences and have been detaining them in the Nasaka headquarters since then, demanding a ransom of 2 lakh Kyat for each of them for their releases.

“They were arrested last Sunday and are still being detained in the headquarters of the Nasaka Area No.3 security force because their families are very poor and are unable to pay the amount demanded by Nasaka”, said the relative.

The arrestees are Mohi Ullah (age-18), son of U Muzarmia, Kalim Ulla (age-30), son of U Larloo, and U Nur Bashar (age-60). All of them are residents of Ward No.2 in Taungbro.

The relative said the Nasaka forces are led by Myat Myint Htun, who is one of the most trusted personnel of Major Moe Thwin the officer in-charge of the Area No.3. Myat Myint Htun and his forces took them from their residences under a pretense of investigating them, and have held them in their headquarters on charges of using illegal mobile phones from Bangladesh without seizing any mobile phones from them.

According to the border sources many people, especially the government officials, which include the Nasaka personnel and businessmen in Maungdaw Township, have been openly using mobile phones from Bangladesh for their telecommunications, as the networks of the mobile phone operators from Bangladesh cover the whole township and it is much cheaper to use the Bangladeshi phones than the Burmese ones.

“It has been already six years since people here began using the mobile phones from Bangladesh and the Nasaka forces themselves are using those phones for their telecommunications and internet access as well, but now they are just using it as a tool to extort money from ordinary people in the township rather than strictly enforcing laws”, said an educated youth from downtown Maungdaw.

Another resident from Taungbro also said that the same forces of the Nasaka Area No.3 had arrested Moulvi Abu Alum, a Muslim clergyman, from Nanthataung Village in the Kauntheepun Village Group on a charge of begging donations from a Saudi Arab to build a mosque in his village on the 10th of July 2011. They demanded 5 lakh Kyat for his freedom. They finally released the clergyman after receiving 2 lakh Kyat and detaining him for two more days to make up for the lesser sum recieved.

Sources said the Nasaka forces in the township have been using various charges and abusing the law, in order to arrest and extort money from the township, especially local Muslim people. As a result the officers in charge of the force have become rich after two or three years of service in the area.