Arakan Army demands money, labor, young recruits from Rohingya

YANGON, Burma (MNTV) — Rohingya Muslims who have endured decades of persecution, military violence and mass displacement in Burma are now facing demands to surrender money, provide labor and make their young people available to the Arakan Army, an ethnic Rakhine armed group that has seized control of much of their homeland.

The demands were reportedly issued on Oct. 12 during a meeting in northern Maungdaw Township, where Arakan Army officials warned Rohingya community representatives that residents must comply with orders for financial contributions, labor and security-related assistance.

According to Rohingya Khobor, which cited a participant at the meeting, officials from the United League of Arakan (ULA), the Arakan Army’s political wing, told Rohingya representatives that their communities would be expected to provide young people whenever requested by the administration.

The meeting, held at the No. 3 regional office, brought together ULA/AA officials, village administrators, police representatives, members of a local judicial committee and Rohingya community elders.

During the discussions, officials reportedly said the armed group needed more fighters and weapons to defend Rakhine State against Burma’s military junta.

They demanded that Rohingya communities contribute money when requested and provide labor for infrastructure projects, including repairing roads and bridges.

More troubling for Rohingya families was the reported instruction that young people must also be made available for labor and security-related duties whenever the armed group required them.

The account did not establish whether the young people would be forced into military service, how many might be demanded or whether families would have any right to refuse.

For Rohingya communities already living under severe restrictions and facing an uncertain future in their ancestral homeland, the reported demands raise fears that their children could be drawn into another armed conflict.

Officials also reportedly instructed Rohingya residents to obey ULA administrative rules and warned them against contacting or supporting Rohingya armed organizations.

They further demanded that families prevent relatives living abroad from sending financial assistance to those groups.

The meeting also included warnings about possible forced displacement.

According to the participant, ULA/AA officials said Rohingya residents would be required to abandon their homes and move to the Lha Pho Khaung relocation camp if ordered to do so.

The participant alleged that the relocation instructions specifically targeted Rohingya Muslims, rather than other communities living under Arakan Army administration.

The allegations follow previous reports of forced labor and financial demands imposed on Rohingya communities in Arakan Army-controlled territories.

In June, the Burma Human Rights Network reported allegations that hundreds of Rohingya residents in northern Maungdaw had been compelled to work on infrastructure projects for new settlements.

The latest developments come as Rohingya Muslims remain among the world’s most persecuted communities. Hundreds of thousands were driven from their homes during the Burmese military’s brutal crackdown in 2017, which prompted widespread international accusations of genocide.

Many survivors remain in overcrowded refugee camps in Bangladesh, while those who stayed behind in Rakhine State continue to face insecurity, restrictions and displacement.