They Are Terrorize

Maung Daw, Rakhine State, Myanmar                                                                  8, June, 2012

In this afternoon, thousands of Bengali known as Rohingyas gathered and burned many houses of local residents, Rakhines. Most of local Rakhines (Arakanese) fled away from their homes for security purposes. Maung Daw at Rakhine State in Burma is now in chaos and needs immediate control over such riots. Many Buddhist temples were set on fire by Bengalis while rioters have destroyed local stores and shops owned by Rakhines (Arakanese).

Few days ago, an Arakanese lady was gang-raped and murdered by three Bengalis. Her neck was purposefully cut and vagina was found severely penetrated with sharp weapons. That case has raised tensions among local residents, Arakanese and newly occupying illegal Bengali immigrants. In response to such sexual assault, ten Muslim travelers to Rakhine state were beaten to death at Taung Gote township. Such consequential cases have sparked riots in Rakhine state.

Conditions seem to become worse when Bengalis started to shoot with their secretly stored guns from a three storey house of a money broker called Zaw Hein at Maung Daw. They shot into the running Rakhine crowds and reports say that injured were sent to Sittway hospital, capital of Rakhine state. An army official confirmed the news that they have already received information about collection of arms by Muslim terrorist forces in that area. Latest news suggests that Myanmar Army in Maund Daw is now confronting with armed Bengalis. Moreover, according to Lay Wa Dee media, Bengali guerilla forces were prepared before tensions started to rise which is why it may be considered as a planned action and foreign invasion.

Maung Daw is now under carfew and military control. Police forces are ordered to fire directly towards armed rioter Bengalis. Meanwhile, a well-known local GP Dr Khin Maung Latt and his wife were stabbed seriously by their Bengali housemaid. Resources approve that they are now at hospital and fatally injured.

Ko Ko Kyi, a student leader of 88 generations in Myanmar, made a press conference today regarding such riot issues in Rakhine state.
“I want to say clearly that Rohingyas are not belonged to any ethnic group in Burma. They have no cultural and religious ties with any ethnic group in Burma. Although we have avoided any potentially conflicting issues like racial riots, we have to say today that we will not accept any foreign intervention on rohingya issue without knowing true history of rohingya Bengalis. If some countries want to pressure on Burma/Myanmar for such rohingya problems, we will view it as a threat to our national security.” Ko Ko Kyi says.
In the mean time, Myanmar Muslim Association in Mandalay released a statement about serious condemnation on Rohigyas actions on local resident Rakhines (Arakanese). Currently, according to Yangon Press International, 14 villages were burned down and causalities were not known yet.

Contemporarily, famous exile media such as BBC Burmese, Democratic Voice of Burma (DVB), Radio Free Asia Burmese( RFA Burmese), Voice of America Burmese (VOA Burmese), Irrawaddy Magazine and Mizzima Media were viewed by strong nationalists and social activists of Myanmar as major lobbyist for causing such racial tensions. Ko Ko Kyi warned that exile pressures can be one of the contributing factors for such chaotic conditions. On official facebook of a Myanmar Government officer, he requested that exile Burmese Media should not state rioting situations as Religious conflicts.

On facebook, a number of Burmese calling for boycotting such media and lobbyists were spread like wildfire provoking an idea that exile media are lobbying just for their self-interests but not for Burma as they officially announce. On BBC official web page, it was expressed that Maung Daw Islamic residents are protesting as a response to rising religious tensions. In fact, those Bengalis rallied at a central mosque and started to destroy local stores near Central Hall at Maung Daw. Political activists say that such transnational issue is not simply a religious conflict but a huge problem with Immigration Bureau of Myanmar. They said that local Rakhines (Arakanese) were long suffered from troubles created by corrupted staff of Border Security Forces at Maung Daw.

Han Yaung Wai, chairman of DVB, is usually accused of anti-rohingya campaigners as a conspirator in case of rohingya promotion due to released photographs in which he was signing a suspiciously rohingya-promotion agreement with some Arabs. Since there is no cultural and political connection between Myanmar and Arab world either in positive or negative way, Arakanese activists and nationalists accused Han Yaung Wai of bribery for suspected rohingya-promotion agreement.

 Others campaigns are Burma Campaign UK, Rohingya Organization UK where Wai Hnin Pwint Thon, daughter of Mya Aye who is a student leader of 88 generation students, is now working, Bangladesh based Rohingya Solidarity Organization which can have connections with Al Queda according to wiki leak cable released from US Embassy Rangoon.

Rape and Murder Victim Thida Htwe

(This post details the ugly anti-Islamic and anti-Bengali race-riots in Arrakan triggered by a brutal rape and murder of a Burmese village-girl by three Bengali-Muslim men on May 28.)

Following news released on the June 5^th New Light of Myanmar newspaper details the brutal rape and murder and sexual-mutilation of a Myanmar village woman by three Bengali-Muslim men in the Ramree Township of the Arrakan State.

"NAY PYI TAW, 4 June- On her way from tailoring work to home, Ma Thida Htwe, 27, daughter of U Hla Tin, of Thabyechaung Village, Kyauknimaw Village-tract, Yanbye Township, was stabbed to dead by unidentified people at the mangrove near a rain tree beside the embankment road leading to Kyaukhtayan Ward of Kyauknimaw Village and Chaungwa Village at 5.15 pm on 28 May.

A complaint over the case was lodged to Kyauknimaw Police Station by U Win Maung, a brother of the victim. The police station opened the case under Section 302/382 (murder/robery) of Criminal Procedure Law. The head of Kyaukpyu District MPF and party went to Kyauknimaw Village on 29 May morning and reconstructed the related clues and interrogated three suspects, namely, Htet Htet (a) Rawshi, son of U Kyaw Thaung (Bengali/Islam), of Kyauknimaw (south ward), Rawphi, son of Sweyuktamauk (Bengali/Islam) of Kyauknimaw (Thaya ward) and Khochi, son of Akwechay (Bengali/ Islam), of Kyauknimaw (Thaya ward).

The investigation revealed that Htet Htet (a) Rawshi knew the daily routine of the victim who commuted between Thabyechaung Village and Kyauknimaw Village for tailoring. He, in badly need of money for marrying a girl, plotted to rob her of her valuables she wears. Together with Rawphi and Khochi, Rawshi waited at the rain tree near the scene. Seeing her returning home alone, the three pointed her with a knife and took her to the woods where they raped and stabbed her to dead, taking away five kinds of gold jewellery including MC gold chain.

In order to avoid racial riots and threat of villagers to the suspects, the Township Administrator and the head of the Township MPF were monitoring the situations and sent the three to Kyaukpyu Jail on at 10.15 am on 30 May. At 1.20 pm the same day, about 100 Rakhine nationals of Kyauknimaw arrived at Kyauknimaw Police Station and demanded to return the three to them who were explained by officials concerned that the three had already been sent to Kyaukpyu Jail.

 

However, the group, unsatisfied with it, was attempting to enter the police station which in return had to fire five shots to disperse them. At 1.50 pm the same day, about 100 Rakhine nationals of Kyauknimaw Village left for Yanbye and the Kyaukpyu District Deputy Commissioner and the head of Kyaukpyu Police Station also went to Yanbye to prevent disturbance and ensure prevalence of law and order settling the problems with the villagers.

At 4 pm on 30 May, the District/Township level departmental officials and Yanbye Township Pyithu Hluttaw representative U Ba Kyi made clarifications to avoid disturbance at Yanbye Township Administrator Office, and the villagers left the office at 5.40 pm. At 9 am on 31 May, they left Yanbye for Kyauknimaw Village with two boats. The Villagers accepted K 1 million donated for the village and K 600,000 for the victim’s funeral by the State Transportation Minister U Kyaw Khin and five sets of robes and K 100,000 by the State Hluttaw representative U Than Naing for the victim’s funeral.

At 3.5 pm on 31 May, the State Security and Border Affairs Minister, the deputy head of the State Police Station, the Kyaukphyu District Deputy Commissioner and the head of the District Police Station participated in the victim’s funeral and held discussions with the villagers. At 9 am on 1 June, the State Chief Minister and party left for Kyaukpyu and held discussions with the Kyaukpyu Township youth organization over the murder case. The discussions mainly touched upon handing down deterrent punishment on the murderers soonest and helping prevent riots when they are being brought to trial."

The news-release was clearly sanitized as the horrific details of the crime committed were not included. According to the police forensic evidence and also the eyewitnesses to the body of 25 year old Thida Htwe the victim was raped multiple times by three Bengali men and her throat slashed from ear to ear and her chest stabbed multiple times and her woman organ was stabbed and mutilated with knives.

Following day more than a thousand strong angry mob of native Arrakanese from the surrounding villages surrounded and almost destroyed the Kyauknimaw Village police station where the three criminals were temporarily held before sending them to safer Kyaukphyu Jail just before the mob’s arrival.

Killing of Traveling Bengali Muslims in Taung-goke

That case of brutal rape and murder has basically caused religious and racial riots against the Bengali Muslims all over the Arrakan State and the worst case was the killing of ten Bengali-Muslim pilgrims travelling on a luxury bus at Taunggup on their way from Sandoway to Rangoon on June 3^rd.

Following news released on the June 5^th New Light of Myanmar newspaper details the killing of ten Burmese Muslim men by the Arrakanese mob at the Taunggup Town in the Arrakan State.

"NAY PYI TAW, 4 June- In relation to the case of Ma Thida Htwe who was ruthlessly assaulted on 28 May, a group namely Wunthanu Rakkhita Association, Taunggup, handed out leaflets around 6 am yesterday to locals at crowded places in Taunggup, bearing a photo Ma Thida Htwe and describing a “Notice” making the people in Taunggup to take notice the intentionally assault of Muslims to Rakhinese women.

Around 4 pm yesterday, the news that Muslims were on board a car spread to the town and local people crowded the bus from the Yoma Thitsar Bus-line enroute from Thandwe to Yangon while it stopped in Ayeyeiknyein Bus Terminal as passengers embarked and disembarked.

An official of the terminal ordered the bus to leave for Yangon immediately as the bus was crowded. Some people riding motorbikes followed the bus and made the bus to turn back to the town. When the bus arrived at the junction of Thandwe- Taunggup on its way back to Thandwe, around 300 local people who were waiting there besiged the bus and pulled the Muslims out of the bus. In the clash, ten Muslims were killed and the bus were also destroyed. The crowd dispersed around 6.50 pm after Taunggup Township Administrative Board, Myanmar Police Force and Hluttaw Representative, members of War Veterans Organization and townselders arrived at the scene and controlled the situation.

The victims were on their way back to homes after staying in Thandwe for religious purposes. The victims include six from Taungdwingyi, two from Myaungmya and two from Thandwe. The bodies of the victims were buried in the Muslims Cemetery in Thandwe today. The attack is under investigation in conformity with the law and officials concerned and townselders are working together to maintain prevalence of community peace and stability.-MNA"

Following story and photos of that ugly incident were published on a Burmese language web site Khithit Blog on 5 June 2012.

(Photos are graphic and weak-hearted should not continue reading the rest.)

The luxury bus (7kha-7863) from Yoma-thitsar coach line was driven by Naung Naung (a Bengali-muslim) and left Sandoway at noon on 3 June 2012 and reached Taunggup at 5 in the evening.

On the bus were 5 Arrakanese and 7 Burmese and 10 Bengali-Muslims. While the bus was stopping for a short break at the bus-terminal in Taunggup the passengers got off and sat in the teashop there.

The ten Bengali-Muslims were noticed by the local Arrakanese youths who had been watching the buses for the purpose of stopping illegal entry of Bengalis from Bangaladesh across the porous border.

Those youths followed the bus by motorcycles once the bus had resumed its journey towards Rangoon. They stopped the bus at the Nayla-Thitsar Gate just outside Taunggup and forced the driver to return to Taunggup police station for the suspicion of transporting the illegal Bengalis.

But well before the Taunggup Police Station the hundreds strong Arrakanese mob waiting at the Sandoway Intersection in front of the No-1 Sate High School stopped the bus and forced all passengers and the driver to disembark.

The mob let the Arrakanese and Burmese passengers go but forced the Indian looking Bengali-Muslims into the road-side ditch and killed them by bashing them up repeatedly on their throats and heads with Bamboo sticks and timber truncheons.

The killed were:

1.      Tay Zar Myint (30) from Taung Dwin Gyi Town of Magwe Division.

2.      Aung Myint (40) from Taung Dwin Gyi Town of Magwe Division.

3.      Maung Ni (47) from Taung Dwin Gyi Town of Magwe Division.

4.      Ni Pwe (56) from Taung Dwin Gyi Town of Magwe Division.

5.      Aye Lwin (50) from Taung Dwin Gyi Town of Magwe Division.

6.      Tin Maung Swe (53) from Taung Dwin Gyi Town of Magwe Division.

7.      Zaw Nyi Nyi Htut (36) from Myaung Mya Town of Irrawaddy Division.

8.      Aung Ko Ko Kyaw (27) from Myaung Mya Town of Irrawaddy Division.

9.      Driver Naung Naung (30) from Sandoway Town of Arrakan State.

10.  Conductor Nyi Nyi Htun (25) from Sandoway Town of Arrakan State.

The news-report emphasized that none of the killed had their Bengali Muslim names mentioned in their NRC (National Registration Cards) but they all were clearly Bengali Muslims. The killings obviously were a racial attack against the Indian-looking Bengali Muslims.

The bus owned by another Bengali Muslim named Battery Kyaw Kyaw from Sandoway was also totally destroyed and burnt down by the Arrakanese mob as well.

Aung San Suu Kyi press conference in Maesot