By Aung Aung
In Rathedaung, there are 42,000 Rohingya; 600 IDPs live in
Chihali IDP camp miserably, up to August 2016, they were provided ration by WFP
but now it cut their ration.
Before 2012 violence, only three Primary schools were
available for the whole of Rohingya community in Rathedaung, after the violence
only one primary school in ZediPyin remained open where no government appointed
teacher comes, villagers have to pay 200,000 kyats to the Headmaster of the
school to get permission, some Rohingya volunteer teacher( former under
graduate students) teach nearly 200 students.
AnaukPyin and Nyaung Bin Gyi of Rathedaung located
surrounding 24 Buddhist Rakhine villages. They have no right to cultivate their
farm lands since 2012, most of their lands were confiscated by the authority
and Rakhine after 2012.
They have been provided rice by WFP since 2012 July but it
cut providing ration to them now. In Panga village and ZayKundan village, there
are 2500 IDPs whose rations were cut since June 2016. In June 2016, WFP handed
over distribution of its ration to local NGOs such us MHDO, CDN, Save the
Children which cut ration of most of Rohingya IDPs.
There is no clinic at all to cure 42000 Rohingya in
Rathedaung.They are not allowed to go to the hospital. For serious cases, they
hardly try to get permission to go Sittwe. Only few persons can effort to go
Sittwe. Many Rohingya died lack of medication and malnutrition since 2012. Koe
Tan Kauk is one of the village tracts of Rathedaung.
On November 3, 2016, Union Minister for Border Affair Lt-Gen
Ye Aung, Chief Minister of Rakhine State U Nyi Pu and Minister of State for
Foreign Affairs U Kyaw Tin, UN resident coordinator/humanitarian assistance
coordinator and ambassadors of Foreign missions visited Koe Tan Kauk where the
Police Station was attacked on 9th October.
Rohingya in Koe Tan Kauk greeted the delegation with a
protest holding placards written “Stop Genocide”, “Stop Killing Us”, “Restore
Our Rights”, “We are Rohingya”, “End Genocidal Blockage” in English. After the
visit of delegation, Borders Guards and Myanmar army started genocidal
operations to arrest those who organized the protest and wrote placards.
During the cruel operation, 4 Rohingya were killed, 14 were
arrested by the authority. Soon, another operation called “Sway Tin Sis”, a
genocidal program of former NaSaKa under the supervision of Gen Khin Nyunt is
being conducted. “Sway Tin Sis” in Burmese literally means “drag, beat and examine“.
Rohingya are dragged out of their houses, beat them and after that examine to
register.
In Koe Tan Kauk, there are five Rohingya villages and two
IDPs. They all have been under genocidal blockage since 2012; no fundamental
human rights including livelihood and educational rights. During “Clearance
Operation” from 10 October to 20 November, army forced to remove bamboo-wall of
the primary school which turned to a cowshed now.
More than 500 children are deprived of primary education.
Maung Tin Maung, a volunteer teacher who taught primary students two years ago,
was crying when he talked to me. He said “The most effective operation for the
destruction of a community is depriving its educational right”.
Rohingya population in Koe Tan Kauk
Koe Tan Kauk Ywa Gyi (1279)
Ywa Gyi Myeit Na (538)
Taung Na Ywa (749)
Myeit Na Ywa
(968)
Surali Ywa (627)
Taung Na IDPs (1255)
Myeit Na IDPs (1488)
Unregistered IDPs (84)
Out of 7000 Rohingya in Koe Tan Kauk Village Tract, 80% are
facing semi-starvation. Sixty families, whose homes were destroyed by
landslides three months ago, live covering lamination. Up to last October, they
could fish in the river and sell vegetables grown by them to Rakhine who came
to their villages for their survival. Now, they are not allowed to go finishing
and Rakhine are not allowed to buy from them.
Since October, Staffs of WFP have not come to provide ration
for them. Authority blocks every means of survival as if it leaves them to die
slowly on starvation. Rohingya in Koe Tan Kauk urgently needs help to save
their lives.
The placards held by the villagers in front of the UN
delegation are absolutely correct. No one urged them to hold those placards as
Myanmar’s President Office alleged. They had expressed actual situation and
their feeling of their own. Those who have read about genocidal operations of
Myanmar government are responsible to save starving Rohingya in Koe Tan Kauk as
well as Rohingya in the whole Arakan for the sake of Humanity.