Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
The Arakan Army, a separatist group, has begun conducting a population census and household documentation for Rohingya families in Buthidaung Township, in Myanmar’s western Arakan State, using a method similar to that previously used by the Myanmar military council. The process includes photographing families, collecting personal information, and replacing the ethnic label “Rohingya” with the term “Muslim” only in the new documents.
According to an Arakan News Agency correspondent, the Arakan Army visited Rohingya homes in the villages of Nan Yar Gone, Baggona, and Nyaung Chaung, as well as surrounding areas, asking residents to pay 500 kyats (approximately $0.25 USD) for each personal photograph, with an additional fee of 10,000 kyats (around $4.75 USD) required when the family documents are later issued.
A resident told Arakan News Agency that the new census also includes names of family members residing abroad in the documentation, raising fears of surveillance and future targeting. He noted that families were forced to line up and have photographs taken for each member, and women were not allowed to wear the hijab or burqa during the photo sessions.
A Rohingya teacher stated that the reasons behind this new census, photo-taking, and document issuance by the Arakan Army are still unknown, emphasizing that these practices fall under a local municipal law enacted since 1992 in the towns of Maungdaw and Buthidaung as part of a systematic project to suppress the Rohingya.
Since mid-2024, many Rohingya families have fled Arakan State to Malaysia, Bangladesh, and other regions to escape ongoing oppression by the Arakan Army. These families now face the risk of being removed from official records if they are unable to participate in the current inspections.
Since the Arakan Army took control of Buthidaung in mid-2024, it has committed various violations against the Rohingya, including seizing a major cemetery and demanding that Rohingya find another place to bury their dead. It also began demolishing Rohingya villages, including ordering the destruction of the village of Mitnar.
Additionally, many Rohingya have been arrested under accusations of being members of armed groups. Many others have been abducted, prisoners have been executed after torture, and forced displacement has been carried out in several Rohingya villages, with villages burned and homes destroyed.
