Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
The Arakan Army has arrested four Rohingya shopkeepers in the village of Sin Nain Pyin, located in Buthidaung Township in Arakan State, western Myanmar, on suspicion of selling goods to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA).
Local sources told Arakan News Agency that the four traders are currently under interrogation, noting that they operate small shops selling general items to anyone who visits the village.
They added that the shopkeepers are unable to identify every customer or distinguish between civilians and members of armed groups. Some believe that members of ARSA may have purchased food from these shops.
Residents emphasized that the arrested shopkeepers have no connections to armed groups and did not knowingly sell goods to them. They rely on their businesses as a means of livelihood.
One village resident said, “We do not support or cooperate with ARSA. In fact, we consider them a major cause of our suffering as Rohingya people. We call on the Arakan Army to conduct fair investigations and stop punishing innocent people based on unverified accusations.”
Local residents confirmed that conditions in Rohingya villages in Buthidaung are deteriorating under a new policy imposed by the Arakan Army, which includes forced displacement, youth conscription, heavy taxation, and abusive practices such as arbitrary arrests and forced labor.
Under Arakan Army rule, the Rohingya are suffering widespread abuses including the sealing of homes following false reports, seizure of properties, displacement of families, and the imposition of strict restrictions on movement between villages, enforced through a network of security checkpoints at the entrances and exits of every Rohingya village.
The Arakan Army launched a military campaign in November 2023 against the Myanmar military to take control of the state and has since seized 14 out of 17 townships. The ongoing conflict has engulfed the Rohingya, who have faced violence, forced displacement, and persecution from both sides, following the genocide carried out by the Myanmar military in 2017, which forced nearly one million to flee to Bangladesh.
