December 7, 2016
Tatmadaw forces arrested six members of the same family after a woman from the household prevented soldiers from carrying out rape of family members.
On Monday, two Hlun Htein men tried to enter an isolated house on the fringe of Hassu Rata and May Rulla in Maungdaw South when a woman blocked their access and threatened to cut them with a chopper. The soldiers went away but since then heavy reinforcements arrived in the area and cut off all Rohingyas from escaping.
The next day, a force of around hundred Tatmadaw personal surrounded the house, picked up the woman and her husband along with their four children. There is no knowledge concerning their whereabouts. Terror has pervaded both the village tracts.
Sources say the arrested Rohingyas are facing brutal torture in custody.
Further arrests in Maungdaw South
Military also entered Ang Dhang on Wednesday and arrested two people. They are Jahangir and Md Amin. The Tatmadaw also called out the name of 43 other men, most of them young people, but the men had all gone into hiding since the twilight hours. The security forces say these men are involved in terrorist activities.
The Tatmadaw and their Rakhine collaborators also smashed up property during the raid.
The area in Maungdaw South is a traditional hotspot but in the ongoing crackdown that started on October 9, it has been relatively peaceful as the Tatmadaw has concentrated its forces on the northern villages of the township. However, there are fears that after finishing with Maungdaw North, the forces will move towards the Maungdaw South region.
The ghost of RSO in Rathedaung
In Shil Khali (Cinghali) of Rathedaung, Hlun Htein arrested Kashem Ali and Ziaul Kamal for allegedly having links with Rohingya Solidarity Organisation (RSO). The security team entered the village tract at around 7am on Tuesday and stayed there for around three hours. Experts consider the RSO to be a defunct organisation which the Tatmadaw uses to justify repression against innocent Rohingyas.
Our sources say scores of Rohingya men detained in the infamous Buthidaung prison have had both their hands cut off from the wrist.
More deaths for Bangladesh bound refugees
Another woman has been confirmed to have been killed on Sunday in Shil Khali of Maungdaw North, as security forces opened fire on Bangladesh bound refugees. A group of Rohingyas were waiting by the river for a boat when soldiers suddenly turned up in the area and shot at them at around 3am. The others managed to escape but the woman, yet unidentified, was hit with bullets. The Rohingyas in the group are from Sor Gazi Bil. On Sunday night, more than 30 people from Bor Gazi Bil were killed when Hlun Htein fired on their boat near Raimba Guna.
Shil Khali, along with Raimba Guna is a major embarkation point for Bangladesh bound refugees especialy from the now destroyed villages of Sa Li Frang, Ra Bai La, Sor Gazi Bil and Bor Gazi Bil as there is access to the Naf river that separates the two countries. In the last few days, the Tatmadaw and Hlun Htein maintain a heavy presence in the area to stop the Rohingyas from fleeing to the neighbouring country. Scores of refugees have been killed when trying to make the crossing. The lack of survivors have made it difficult to get a clearer picture of the Naf river deaths.
The Tatmadaw also raided nearby Bura Shida Para on Wednesday, firing their weapons at the fleeing Rohingyas. Casualties are feared.
Rape orgy continue in Ra Bai La, at least one woman dead following rape
In Ra Bai La on Wednesday, the Tatmadaw once again herded the women from their houses, took them to a nearby field, and forced them to strip. Some of the women were brutally assaulted, while all of them were molested. Some of them were also taken to the nearby hills where they were raped. The army has been conducting the same exercise every day since December 1. Nearby Sa Li Frang is also suffering from similar abuses. Some of the naked women were also forced to stare at the sun for a long time.
Our correspondents in the area say there are no women left in the area who have not escaped this humiliation.
One woman who was raped by soldiers on Sunday died on the following day. Many others are in critical condition. Soldiers often further torture them by shoving their weapons into their private parts once the rape is over.
Ra Bai La and Sa Li Frang, along with the nearby villages of Bor Gazi Bil and Sor Gazi Bil were hit with helicopters, rocket launchers and machine guns on November 12 and 13 after protesters armed with sticks stopped a Tatmadaw team from carrying out rapes. The attacks killed around 150 Rohingyas in the area, including women and children. Many of the children were also thrown into the fire.
