Rohingya accuse local officials of extorting landowners in Myanmar
Rohingya residents say administrators demanded payments to prevent farmland seizures, including property belonging to refugees who fled to Bangladesh
NAYPYIDAW, Myanmar (MNTV) — Rohingya residents in western Myanmar have accused local administrators of demanding payments from landowners and threatening to confiscate farmland, including property belonging to families who fled to refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh.
According to Rohingya Khobor, residents of U Shay Cha village in northern Maungdaw Township in Myanmar’s Rakhine State alleged that temporary village administrators and several associates have been demanding money from Rohingya landowners while invoking the authority of the Arakan Army, the ethnic armed group that controls much of northern Rakhine.
According to residents, the village has been divided into nine administrative sections overseen by temporary administrators. They alleged that one administrator, identified as Maw Ti Ra Man, along with another Rohingya man and a Rakhine associate, has demanded payments from Rohingya landowners, including families who remain displaced in refugee camps across the border in Bangladesh.
Residents said landowners are being asked to pay 150,000 Myanmar kyats ($70) for every kani, a local land measurement equivalent to roughly three acres. Those who refuse or are unable to pay have allegedly been warned that their farmland could be confiscated.
Several villagers also accused local administrators of abusing their authority by intimidating residents and pressuring them into surrendering property rights.
“Families who fled to Bangladesh are worried about losing the land they left behind,” one resident said. “They feel they are being forced to choose between paying money or giving up their property.”
Residents further alleged that some administrators had previously worked with Myanmar authorities before the Arakan Army assumed control of the area and continued to exercise significant influence over local affairs.
Villagers claimed that several privately owned farms have already been targeted for possible seizure, including about 16 acres belonging to one Rohingya family, around 15 acres owned by another household and an additional two-acre property. Some residents also alleged that homes built on those properties could face demolition.
Another resident said many villagers were unwilling to speak publicly because they feared retaliation.
Residents also accused some local officials of routinely intimidating villagers, forcing people to work at unreasonable hours, verbally abusing residents and physically assaulting those found outside after an evening curfew.
Human rights groups have previously documented reports of abuses against the Muslim minority by multiple armed actors in Myanmar’s conflict-ridden Rakhine State.
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