October 16, 2016
A man has been killed, and two others seriously wounded when Tatmadaw personal opened fire near Naffura, Maungdaw North.
Like other village tracts in the area, Naffura has been in a state of shutdown since Sunday. As most Rohingyas are dependent on a daily income for survival, this means most families have been suffering from severe food shortages since last week.
Our correspondent in the area reports that unable to bear the pangs of hunger and the suffering of the children in their houses, three men went to fish in a river adjoining the village on Saturday. But soon, a military team spotted them and opened fire. One of the men died on the spot, while two others suffered serious injuries.
After the military left the spot, villagers went and found them.
The deceased man has been identified as Md Solim (s/o Din Md). The two wounded men are Abu Tayeb (s/o Md Ayub) and Ayub (s/o Noor Alam).
A local man, on condition of anonymity told our correspondent that it would have better for the wounded men if they had died on the spot because they don’t have access to medical care and their wounds are causing unbearable pain.
Many Rohingya Muslims have been wounded by gunfire since last Sunday and none of them have been able to avail medical care as there are severe restrictions on movement. Rohingyas are forbidden to move even in more normal times, and in recent times, movement means almost certain death. Officially there is a dusk to dawn curfew, but in reality, the curfew runs for 24 hours.
Activists say the denial of medical care for Rohingya Muslims is a strategy devised by the government as part of a blueprint to force the beleaguered community to move out. The lack of medical care, and the lack of movement which in turn severely restricts livelihood options and creates food shortages are alleged to be a strategy of silent and slow burning genocide, designed to ‘eliminate’ Muslims without attracting international attention. This has been true especially since the riots of 2012.
Meanwhile, many in Naffura have fled the village fearing an imminent attack by Tatmadaw. 
Recent Comments