Maungdaw, Arakan State: A youth on sentry duty in Maungdaw Township was brutally tortured by Burma’s border security force (Nasaka), at night in his village on the night of September 24. He refused to give a fowl to Naska as fine because he was on red alert while the Nasak paid a visit to check, said a close relative of the victim.  

The sentry was identified as Abdu Korim (17), son of Abdu Shukur from Bakkagona village of Bakkagona village tract of Maungdaw Township.

That night, a group of Nasaka personnel from Kalizabanga Nasaka camp of Maungdaw Township went to the village to check the village sentry posts. There are three village sentry posts with four villagers per sentry post. The Nasaka went to these sentry posts to check, but the sentries were on red alert.  So, the Nasaka could not fault the sentries.

Although, the Nasaka did not find any fault, they asked them to give one big fowl each from all the sentry posts.  But the youth Abdul Korim refused. He also said, “We are on sentry duty the whole night instead of Nasaka, so why should we give a fowl to Nasaka,” said a close friend of the victim quoting Korim.

“But, other sentries gave a big fowl each to the Nasaka patrol in fear of punishment. It is normal for the Nasaka to take fowl or money from the sentries whether they find fault or not,” said a local villager.

The Nasaka tortured Korim severely and took him to the owner and blamed him for sending a youth to the sentry post. So, the owner was brought to the Nasaka camp and put into “wooden stock” as punishment.

However, he was released after he paid Kyat 150,000 to the Nasaka officer, said another relative of the victim.

A village elder told the Kaladan Press Network (KPN) that they have been facing many difficulties in providing night sentry duty in the villages and asked the KPN to send this news to the concerned international community to stop it immediately.