Arakan News Agency
Local residents in Myo-U Ward of Maungdaw town, Arakan State, have called for legal action against administrators appointed by Arakan militias (Buddhist separatist), accusing them of selling the properties of war-displaced Rohingya families and extorting money from local residents under various pretexts.
According to local sources, the allegations involve Amir Sabar, appointed as village administrator by the Arakan militias, his brother Nur Sabar, a ten-household leader, and Hussain Amat, son of Mogol Amat and assistant to the village administrator. The three are accused of abusing their authority to intimidate civilians, extort money, and unlawfully seize and sell the properties of Rohingya who fled the area due to the conflict, either to major cities inside Myanmar or to Bangladesh.
Maungdaw Daily News reported that residents of Zintula Village have been forced to pay money after false accusations were fabricated against them. Locals said that those who refuse to pay are falsely accused of having links with the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and threatened with arrest by the militias.
Eyewitnesses said the accused routinely remove household goods at night from the homes of displaced Rohingya, including beds, wardrobes, wooden pillars, planks, doors, and windows, which are then sold. Anyone who witnesses or attempts to object to these acts is reportedly threatened with fabricated charges and severe punishment.
A resident of the ward said the abuses have recently escalated to the demolition of homes belonging to displaced families and the sale of remaining property. Fear and intimidation, he added, have left residents unable to stop the practices, describing the situation as a “misuse of power and treatment of the area as if it were lawless.”
According to the source, wardrobes, wooden pillars, and furniture were recently taken from several houses in Zintula Village and sold to an Arakan trader. Properties belonging to a number of Rohingya families have already been sold, including those of Yaya Khan, son of Abul Foyaz; Swayat Alam and Mamat Alam, sons of Rashid Ahmad; Jamal Hossain, son of Mir Hossain; Abdul Hakim; Idris; and Abu Kalam.
Local residents have urged the relevant authorities to take urgent legal action against those involved in abusing power and selling Rohingya properties, and to put an end to the ongoing violations.
