Narinjara: A local Arakanese mob attacked an office of the Aide Medicine International (AMI) in Buthidaung, 80 miles north of Arakan state’s capital Sittwe, on Wednesday because foreign officials allegedly hid a molester in the AMI office, said a townsperson.

“About 2000 people attacked the office of the AMI at 5:30 pm with stones and sticks as AMI officers did not hand over a staff member to the police even though the staff assaulted an Arakanese woman,” he said.

Ma Ni La Kyaw, a woman staff member of the AMI, was molested by another staff, when she went to the AMI office at 5 pm for bidding farewell to her bosses and other staff members.

After the incident, she went to the police station in Buthidaung to lodge a complaint. A team of policemen went to the office to arrest the staff. But the AMI officers did not hand him over to the police.

As such irate local Arakanese assembled in front of the office and later attacked the office pelting stones, bottles and sticks.

“Many cars, motor cycles and window panes of the office were damaged but no one was injured in the attack,” he said.

Local people said the police could not control the mob attack on the AMI office, which ended at about 9:30 pm.

“The attackers dispersed when soldiers came to control the rioters,” he said.

The army took the AMI staff to an unknown place in an army vehicle but no one knows the whereabouts of the staff.

Security has been beefed up in Buthidaung after the accident.

The AMI is a foreign NGO working in three locations in Rangoon, Shan and northern Arakan.