In Maungdaw Township, situated on the western border of Rakhine State, where the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) terrorist members have been infiltrating, residents have reported that the Military Council has initiated sudden overnight guest registration checks.
Starting on August 28, from 6:30 pm to 1:30 am, residents reported that 50 individuals, including military council troops, border guard police, police officers, immigration staff, and ward administrators, unexpectedly conducted inspections in the urban wards of Maungdaw.
Furthermore, on the night of August 31, a resident informed Narinjara that the group, accompanied by two military vehicles, conducted house inspections in Ka Nyin Tan ward and several other wards within Maungdaw Township.
"Especially in Maungdaw and Buthidaung, where there are reports of increased activity among ARSA members, I believe they are conducting these overnight guest registration checks," stated the resident.
According to a ward administrator who spoke with Narinjara, Maungdaw Township comprises 12 urban wards, which include Ka Nyin Tan, Myoma East, Myoma West, Myoma South, Myoma North, Maung Ni, Ywar Thit Kay, Latha, Myo Oo, 6 mile, Wai Thar Li, and Myo Thu Gyi.
He mentioned that the team, which included Military Council troops, conducted unexpected overnight guest registration checks without prior notification to the ward administrators and residents.
"They didn't notify us in advance about their visit to inspect this ward. It's an unanticipated check," he said.
He also stated that no individuals were taken into custody as suspects during the inspection period.
However, a Muslim villager stated that there haven't been any surprise overnight guest registration checks in the villages of Maungdaw Township.
After Bangladeshi authorities recently identified and apprehended members of the ARSA terrorist group, which had established a foothold in refugee camps in Bangladesh, residents have reported that ARSA has begun infiltrating Rakhine, Maungdaw, and Buthidaung townships.
Residents have also reported that ARSA has been involved in a series of activities, including establishing camps in Maungdaw and Buthidaung townships, displaying weapons in Muslim villages while conducting campaigns, kidnapping certain Muslim businessmen for extortion, engaging in skirmishes with the Arakan Army (AA), and organizing events to commemorate the 6th anniversary of the killings of Muslims in the Maungdaw area.
These activities have raised concerns among local residents.
In 2016 and 2017, the ARSA terrorist group launched attacks on numerous border guard police outposts and military camps in Maungdaw Township, resulting in significant casualties among the military troops. These attacks subsequently led to a large-scale clearance operation in the area.
As a consequence of the area clearance, over 700,000 Muslims from the Maungdaw region were compelled to flee to the neighboring country of Bangladesh, and they have not been able to legally return until now.
