Three die, two wounded in Pauktaw violence

Source Kaladanpress, 6 Nov

Pauktaw, Arakan State: Three people were killed and other two people were wounded on November 1st week while conflict between two communities (Rakhine and Rohingya), according to a local from Pauktaw Township who did not give his name.

On November 2, at about 12:00 noon, one Rohingya refuge –name not know- was killed by some local Rakhine in the forest while he and other refugee were collecting firewood. The other managed to escape from the area and amount them one Refugee also wounded seriously who reached to the Sintatmaw refugee camp and informed all the event, said a refugee from the camp.

Hearing the information from the wounded refugee, a group of refugees went to the forest to search the dead body. But they were halted by Hluntin on the way to forest where the police and refugee had become argument to find the dead body. But, Hluntin open fired to the mob where one refugee died on the spot and wounded three refugees, said an elder from camp.

According to Arakan State Government spokesperson, Hla Thein, six Rohingya refugee from Sintatmaw displacement camp in Pauktaw Township disappeared on November 2 when they went to the forest to collect firewood. But, found dead with physical wounds, and taken back to their local mosque. Other are still missing.

There were a confrontation at the camp where the police officials were forced to shoot into the crowd. In the accident three Rohingya were injured. One of them later died in the hospital, HlaThein said

After the event, the refugee mob got very angry and a quarrel was occurred with two Rakhine women on the way to refugee camp while the women were collecting mussels in a stream. In that incident, one Rakhine woman was killed and another one was also wounded, according to sources from Sintatmaw.

"The body of a Bengali Muslim covered with wounds was found in Sintatmaw village, and I think the Bengalis suspect the Arakanese for this," said Hla Thein, referring to the Rohingya man as a "Bengali," a term that reflects many locals' belief that the Muslim minority are illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh, mention in Irrawaddy news.

According our reporter, the wounded three refugees were immediately brought to Sittwe (Akyab) General Hospital by MSF members for treatment, after calling MSF office by sintatmaw Rohingya camp leader. But, the Rakhine community in the area complained the MSF work only for Rohingya, not for Rakhine.
Vickie Hawkins, MSF deputy-head for Burma explained her organization was fair in their work, and provided medical services with regardless of ethnicity and based only on a patient's need to be transferred to hospital.

The Arakan State government under the Burmese government gathered 18 leading international NGOs and UN agencies on November 4 to remind them that all assistance must be distributed fairly after Rakhine community protested against INGOs are not working for them, only Rohingya.