Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
Local residents in northern Maungdaw, Arakan State, western Myanmar, reported that the Arakan Army has imposed a fine of 50,000 Myanmar kyats on Rohingya who travel from one village to another without an official travel permit. In addition to the fine, they are prevented from continuing their journey.
Residents told Arakan News Agency that these restrictions are enforced at checkpoints in villages such as Thayetoke, Hla Poe Kaung, and Tho O Hla, where travelers are required to show official permits. If they fail to present them, they are detained and not allowed to proceed.
They added that the Arakan Army prohibits movement without these permits, and anyone wishing to travel between villages must obtain authorization from the village administration for a fee of 5,000 kyats.
Several similar incidents have occurred in recent days. On June 13, three men from Thayetoke village were stopped on their way to Kyauk Lay Gar market. After confirming their identities, they were fined and forced to return home without reaching the market. On June 12, two men from Tho O Hla village were detained for several hours for the same reason.
Villagers from Tho O Hla, Ywet Nyo Taung, Myaw Taung, and Thayetoke rely heavily on Kyauk Lay Gar market as a primary source for food supplies, especially amid a severe shortage of basic goods following the closure of supply routes to Arakan by authorities since the outbreak of recent fighting.
With soaring prices and worsening food insecurity, locals have resorted to smuggling through the border with Bangladesh as a means of survival. However, the arbitrary restrictions imposed by the Arakan Army have only deepened their daily suffering.
A human rights activist described these practices as “blatant extortion and a replacement of one dictatorship with another,” adding that residents are now forced to endure tragic conditions akin to fleeing by sea.
Since taking control of Maungdaw on December 8 last year, the Arakan Army has continued its abuses against the Rohingya. These include imposing exorbitant fees on each cow sold at temporary livestock markets opened for Eid al-Adha, arbitrarily closing Rohingya homes based on false accusations, and seizing properties.
They have also confiscated valuable belongings, displaced numerous families, and imposed harsh movement restrictions on Rohingya communities. Movement is tightly controlled through a network of security checkpoints at the entrances and exits of each Rohingya village, and even motorcycle owners are required to pay fees to cross certain bridges.
