Eid ul Adha of 2018 was marked by extortions and arbitrary looting by the security forces according to multiple sources in Maungdaw and Buthidaung.
In Italia, Maungdaw South, at least ten cows were looted by patrolling BGP forces on Saturday.
Meanwhile in many of the village tracts, those slaughtering cows had to pay bribes to village authorities. A source in Pyar Pyen Aung Pa said that their village chairman had threatened anyone failing to pay the bribe amount to 6000 kyats would be beaten up and jailed.
Eid ul Adha is generally a time when Buddhist nationalists intensify anti Muslim propaganda citing ‘cruel’ treatment of animals by Muslims. Activists allege the time of the year has been used to whip up communal hatred against the Muslim population.
Meanwhile this year’s Eid didn’t really bear much celebrations amid the emptiness of Arakan where most of the Rohingyas were expelled in last year’s military led operations. Last year’s Eid was of course the time when the military operations were at a peak and most of the population was desperate to save the lives of their loved ones.
