Arakan News Agency
Buddhist Arakan militias (the Arakan Army) have forced Rohingya residents in northern Maungdaw, Arakan state, into hard labor to build a new military camp after the militia demolished their homes to use its timber for construction.
Local residents said militia members ordered every household in Puin Phyu Chaung village to provide labor by sending one person to carry wood. Those unable to comply are being fined 50,000 kyats a sum that many poor families cannot afford.
One villager recounted: “They came and demolished our houses, claiming they needed the wood for their camp. We had no choice but to watch our homes destroyed.” Another added: “If we cannot send someone to work, they demand money from us.”
Since seizing control of Maungdaw, the Arakan Army has continued abuses against the Rohingya, including shutting down and confiscating homes based on false complaints, seizing valuables, and displacing many families.
The militias have also imposed strict restrictions on Rohingya movement, limiting travel between villages through a network of security checkpoints at each entrance and exit. They reportedly charge fees on Rohingya pedestrians and motorcycle owners for crossing bridges.
The Arakan Army launched a military campaign against Myanmar’s junta in November 2023 and has since captured 14 out of 17 towns in the state. The conflict has severely affected the Rohingya, who face violence, forced displacement, persecution, and conscription from both sides on top of the Myanmar military’s 2017 “genocide” campaign, which drove nearly one million Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.
