The Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO) strongly condemns the ruling State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) for its continued repression on the Rohingya Muslims and re-engineering of the predominantly Rohingya populated areas in Arakan.
The SPDC, in its attempts to create serious demographic changes, has been establishing so-called model villages (Natala villages), in all strategic places of northern Arakan, for the new Buddhist settlers being invited from within and outside the country. Recently the establishment of settler villages has increased by giving incentives to the settlers, who include Burman Buddhists coming from Burma proper. As a result, more and more Rohingyas are becoming landless, internal refugees or internally displaced after their land properties being confiscated and their homes uprooted.
The settlers include drug addicts, ex-convicts, jailed criminals,street vagrants mostly hailed from central Burma and surrendered insurgents and their dependents. The so-called Natala villages are dotted with continued erecting of pagodas, monasteries, temples and community centres built with the forced labour and by forced collection of funds extracting from Rohingyas while renovation, repairing and building of mosques and madrassas (religious schools) are prohibited since 1988 by the authorities.
With the increase in settler villages the militarization and forced labour have been dramatically increased in the region. Number of troops have been redoubled particularly in the townships of Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung.
In May 2002 the Nasaka authorities had confiscated 100 acres of Rohingyas’ land for the Buddhist settlers and more than 48 houses are being constructed for 245 surrendered insurgents at ‘Pratha’ village, a place about 3 miles east of Maungdaw town. The constructions are being made with the forced labour extracted daily from 200 Rohingya villagers.
On May 13, 2002 the commander of the Nasaka Sector No.6 Maj. Than Tun had confiscated 300 acres of lands belonging to both Rohingyas and Rakhines from Nwarondaung village, a place about 3.5 miles northeast of Maungdaw town. The nearby Rohingya villagers are engaged in forced labour to construct 80 houses for the new Burman Buddhist settlers. Again on June 8, 2002, Maj. Than Tun had confiscated another 750 acres of Rohingya farmland from the same village tract of Nwarondaung.
It has been reported that 347 more settler houses would be constructed in the township of Maungdaw in 3 phases: in the first phase 90 houses would be constructed in the villages of Tharapi, Kying Gyi, and Thazan Myian; in the second phase 70 houses in the villages of Tharapi, Kying Gyi, Thazan Myian, Pi Dok, and Gimmin; and in the third phase 187 houses would be constructed in and around other Rohingya villages. All these have been done on the order of the Western Military Command of Arakan. In addition to forced labour, the poor Rohingya villagers have to supply funds and house building materials for these constructions, even after their lands confiscated.
It is a great conspiracy and human rights violations to which fact we invite the attention of the international community, UNO, OIC, EU, IGOs and NGOs, all humanitarian and Human Rights Organisations with a request to take appropriate measures and pressurise the SPDC to stop such settlements and scrap those which have already been established and protect the life, property and dignity of Rohingyas in Arakan.
Arakan Rohingya National Organisation
Arakan (Burma)
Dated: 15/07/2002