Myanmar Authorities Seize Rohingya-Owned Farm Lands

Source Rohingyavision, 22 Feb

by Rohingya Eye & Rohingya Mirror

February 22, 2017

Maungdaw – The Maungdaw Township administration seized many acres of Rohingya-owned farmlands in southern Maungdaw last week in order to set up a model Hindu village, reports say.

The Maungdaw Township administrator and his team put up red flags on the Rohingya lands the village of Kyauk Pandu locally known as Shitaaf in the southern Maungdaw and ordered owners to stay away from the lands.

U Aye Myint, a human rights activist based in Maungdaw, view the move by the township administration to seize the Rohingya-owned farlands and setting up a model village on them is to create animosity and hostility between the local Muslims and the local Hindus.

"They have set up many illegal Rakhine settlements on the lands belonged to the Rohingyas in the past. It has created hostility between the people. Now, they are trying to create to animosity between Muslims and Hindus by setting up a Hindu village on the Rohingyas' lands. Now, the government under the leadership of Aung San Suu Kyi is still implementing the same old 'Divide and Rule Policy'", said U Aye Myint, while speaking to Rohingya Vision TV.

Some owners of the lands confiscated are:

• Mubarak (50), s/o Izhar Meah – 3 acres of his lands confiscated
• Abu Bakkar Siddique (45) – 1 acre of his land confiscated
• Sayedullah (50), s/o Abdu Jalil — 3 acres of his lands confiscated
• Abdu Salam (55), s/o Iman Ali — 4 acres of his lands confiscated
• Abul Kasim (45), s/o Hala Meah — 1 acre of his lands confiscated
• Habiullah (40), Sayedur Rahman — 1 acre of his lands confiscated
• An acre of a mosque-owned land
• Hashimullah (35), s/o Ghani Meah — 2 acres of his lands confiscated

"At a time when we all are facing severe political and economic crises, the government is confiscating our farmlands which are our lifelines. These seizures of our farmlands could lead us to face starvations and deaths," said a Rohingya farmer in southern Maungdaw.

In a separate event taking place, the Myanmar Border Guard Police has temporarily resumed travel access for the Rohingya people in Maungdaw today (on February 21), a permission that is effective only for 14 days.

It has been learn that the police will raid Rohingya villages and force them to accept the NVC (National Verification Card) if they don't agree to accept it within these 14 days. Approximately, 30 people at the village of AlayThanKyaw (locally known as Haishshu Rata) in southern Maungdaw have been forced to accept the NVC so far.

Read the related report: Border Guards Arrest Rohingya Figureheads for Skipping NVC-Related Meeting

[Edited by M.S. Anwar]

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