Arakan News Agency | Exclusive
A 60-year-old Rohingya woman was robbed and murdered by a member of the Arakan Buddhist militia group (Arakan Army) in Buthidaung city, while the group tries to stop the news from spreading, residents told Arakan News Agency (ANA).
Villagers stated that the woman went missing after the militia member, who was stationed at a checkpoint near her village, Thin Taung, offered to help her reclaim money owed to her by a villager in Kin Daung.
On August 28th, the militant accompanied her to Kin Daung, and after he successfully reclaimed her money, he reportedly robbed her of the cash and gold jewelry she carried before killing her on their way back.
When the women didn’t return home, villagers lodged a complaint with the militia group’s Department of Law Enforcement and Public Security (group’s police service). Following an investigation of the suspect, militia authorities located her abandoned body in a fish farming pond in Thin Daung on 5 September. The body was immediately buried, residents said.
A villager told ANA that militia members threatened locals not to spread news of the killing. To further control information, the group confiscated licensed phones in the area and restricted movement by halting the issuance of travel permission letters.
Under the militia’s control, Rohingya can only move between villages with permission letters issued by the militia. Villagers also report being forced to pay fees at checkpoints, ranging from 3,000 to 10,000 kyats (.5 to 3 US$) a sum many can’t afford amid the humanitarian crisis.
Phones are also restricted as residents must pay 300,000 kyats (US$ 75) to register devices. Also, unauthorized use of cellular networks is punishable by detention or heavy fines, a policy one Rohingya youth from Buthidaung described as discriminatory and designed to suppress news of abuses.
The killing comes amid growing fears among Rohingya of targeted repression under Arakan militias control. Since the AA launched its military campaign against the Myanmar military in November 2023 and seized control of most of Arakan state, Rohingya communities have faced severe restrictions, property seizures, and violent abuses compounding the humanitarian crisis.
