Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
The Arakan Army has forced Rohingya villagers particularly from “Pyen Hpyu” village in Maungdaw Township, Arakan State, western Myanmar to engage in road construction and stone paving along a 9.5-kilometer stretch leading to the “Kyaykanbyin” base. Children from families without adult members have also been subjected to forced labor.
According to an Arakan News Agency correspondent, the Arakan Army ordered each family from surrounding villages including “Hla Baw Zar,” “Paung Zar,” “Mingala Gyi,” and “Kyauk Lai Khay” to send at least one person daily for labor, imposing fines ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 kyats (approximately $4.54 – $11.37) for those who refuse.
Residents work from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. under harsh conditions and scorching sun, breaking rocks and carrying gravel without being provided food or water.
A local resident told Arakan News Agency, “Some of us are forced to stand guard at night and are denied sleep. They treat us like modern-day slaves we prepare our own food and fetch water ourselves. There is no rest.”
The Arakan Army has not only imposed forced labor on the Rohingya but also recruited underage children from families with no adults, in blatant violation of UNICEF conventions and international labor laws that prohibit child labor.
Since taking control of Maungdaw on December 8 last year, the Arakan Army has continued committing abuses against the Rohingya, including sealing homes based on false accusations, confiscating valuable property, and displacing numerous families.
Strict restrictions have also been placed on the movement of Rohingya residents, who are now required to pass through a web of military checkpoints controlling access to and from every Rohingya village.
