Maungdaw, Arakan State: On August 30th, the #2 block administration officer in Maungdaw, Yousuf, extorted money from villagers in order to enter new-born babies on their family lists under the “population data collection program,” said Ashique, an elder from the village.
The block administration officer has been collecting 2,000 kyat per baby and 1,000 kyat for “tea money,” Ashique said.
Yousuf is well-known for extorting money from villagers for various reasons and reportedly obtains over one million kyat per month. The population data collection program has provided Yousuf with a perfect opportunity to extort even more money by threatening villagers, said a member of the block administration office who declined to be named.
According to the block administration office staffer, the so-called “population data collection program processing group” hasn’t collected any money for registering new-born babies and certainly hasn’t asked for any “tea money,” but Yousuf has been extorting money for these reasons and then giving the proceeds to his godfather—the township administration officer—for protection.
The #2 block where Yousuf works is the only block where money has been extorted in Maungdaw District for entering new-born babies on family lists, the staffer added.
The Rohingya community has been facing extreme hardship in Maungdaw, where authorities have imposed various restrictions on the ability of Rohingya to work, travel, marry, and obtain health care and education. Yousuf has been making the lives of local Rohingya even worse by illegally extorting money for registering babies, said Javad, a school teacher from Maungdaw.
