Arakan News Agency
Local residents reported that Buddhist Arakan militias (Arakan Army) have confiscated more than 120 acres of farmland and approximately 12 acres of cemetery land in the village of Kin Daung in Buthidaung, noting that the seizures began in April 2025 and have continued since then.
According to Arakan Now, the confiscated land includes rice fields traditionally farmed by Rohingya residents, as well as a cemetery that the community has used for many years.
Residents explained that villagers are no longer allowed to cultivate the seized rice fields, leaving the land unused for farming, while the Arakan militias (Buddhist separatists) permit cattle grazing on the land and reportedly charge 10,000 kyats per cow.
The villagers emphasized that the loss of farmland has severely impacted their livelihoods, as rice farming is their main source of food and income. They also expressed deep concern over the seizure of cemetery land, stating that it disrupts long-standing burial practices and harms their religious and cultural traditions.
Earlier, local sources in Buthidaung reported that the Arakan militias established a new settlement for the Rakhine community in the village, which was previously inhabited by Rohingya communities, and armed the newly settled households.
The Arakan militias (Buddhist separatists) have continued their violations against the Rohingya in Buthidaung since taking control of the town in May 2024. These include preventing Rohingya from returning to their homes in 34 villages despite the absence of active fighting, while simultaneously building new villages for Rakhine settlers on land previously inhabited by Rohingya.
In November 2023, the Arakan militias launched a military campaign against the Myanmar army to take control of the state, managing to capture 14 out of 17 towns. The conflict has severely affected the Rohingya, who have faced violence, forced displacement, and persecution from both sides, following the 2017 “genocide” campaign by the Myanmar army that forced nearly a million Rohingya to flee to Bangladesh.
