Buthidaung, Arakan State: A new rule determining the age has been introduced for marriage for the Rohingya people in northern Arakan, in Burma recently, said an aide of Nasaka, the Burma’s border security force.
The age of the bride and bridegroom has been fixed at 18 years each and the application must reach Nasaka Headquarters in Maungdaw Township through concerned authorities. Earlier, the marriage age was fixed at 24 years for the bridegroom and 18 years for the bride.
Earlier, to get permission for marriage from the authorities, the bridegroom along with the bride had to submit an application to the concerned Village Peace and Development Council (VPDC) where they had to pay kyat 5,000. After getting a recommendation letterfrom the VPDC Chairman or members, they had to submit another application to the Nasaka to get a form by paying kyat 8,000, said a parent of a bridegroom who declined to be named.
After filling the form, it is to be submitted again to Nasaka Grasakan with a recommendation letter where the Sarapa (Military Intelligence) would check and then send to the local Nasaka area headquarters. After checking the form in the local Nasaka area camp, it would be sent to Nasaka Headquarters of Kawarbill (Kyigan Bin) in Maungdaw Township for further processing. The form with all documents will be sent again to the local Nasaka camp from Nasaka headquarters in Kawarbill and then to the bridegroom and bride, he added.
Besides, the bride and bridegroom have to pay kyat 7,000 to Immigration in the Nasaka camp, kyat 10,000 to the local Nasak area commander, kyat 3,000 to the Sarapa officer, kyat 5,000 for taking photographs of the bride and bride groom, kyat 1,000 for the copy of the family list and temporary card, kyat 2,000 to Nasaka Headquarters for a box file and kyat 5,000 to 10,000 to the negotiator or broker, the parent added.
It takes at least a month to get the marriage permit after submitting the application. Sometimes, some brides and bride grooms do not get permission when the application does not adhere to the rules and regulations.
For instance, a youth Eftar (21), son of Ali Ahmed from middle part of Kawliza Bangga village, under Butkargonenah village tract in Maungdaw township was arrested by Nasaka personnel of Kawliza Bangga out post camp in Maungdaw Township on September 20, at about 10 pm, on the allegation that he had married Tasmin (18), daughter of the Hakim of the same village without permission, said a relative of the victim requesting not to be named.
The parents of Eftar and Tasmim have been discussing their engagement. Both the parents wanted to marry them off after completing the engagement and also planned to submit an application to the concerned authorities for permission for them to marry. But, the bridegroom was arrested by Nasaka before marriage for extortion.
However, on September 21, the bridegroom was released after paying kyat 250,000 to the Nasaka commander, the relative added.
A village elder on condition of anonymity said, “We, the Rohingya people have been suffering from such human right violations for long under the Burmese military junta. Is there any country in the world where such persecution exists?”
Most of the poor families are not able to marry their sons or daughters as a huge amount of money has to be paid to the concerned authorities to get marriage permission, said a local trader on condition of anonymity.
