Maungdaw: A former village chairman in Maungdaw Township has been using local people as forced labour in an illegal timber production site with the help of Nasaka, said an educated Muslim youth from the area.
"The former chairman's name is Mr. Marmauk Sweyu. He forced our fellow Muslim villagers to work at the illegal timber site without any payment. He is in cahoots with Nasaka officials in smuggling timber to Bangladesh, so he used his power illegally to use people for forced labour," he said.
Mr. Marmauk Sweyu is a former-Rayaka chairman in the village tract of Kyunt Pauk Pyu Su in northern Maungdaw Township near Bangladesh. He summons villagers from Kyaunt Pauk Sin Oo Village whenever he needs work done.
"Eight families in Kyaunt Pauk Sin Oo Village were preparing to flee to Bangladesh when they were no longer able to tolerate such forced labour by the chairman. They finally gave up their plan to flee because the Bangladeshi authorities are pushing back Burmese Muslims who enter the country illegally," he said.
Many poor villagers have to go to the illegal timber production site every day in a mountain range near Kyaunt Pauk Sin Oo Village to work.
"People in our village do not want to go to the site, but they have to because they are afraid of punishment by Nasaka authorities at the Lake Ra outpost in Nasaka Area No. 4," the source added.
Some people have suffered injuries and some have even been killed at the work site, but no compensation for the workers or their families has been provided.
According to a village source, in the first week of this month, a poor man named U Narzu, (40), died at the work site, but his family has not yet received any compensation.
"We lodged a complaint at the police station but no action has been taken because the former chairman gave a lot of money to police officers as bribe to close the case. We would like to inform the higher authorities of the former chairman's use of villagers for forced labour, but no one dares do so because the authorities can punish them if they complain," he added.
It has also been learnt that the former chairman is still using villagers for forced labour with the help of Nasaka officials, but there has been no investigation or action against the chairman by higher authorities.
