dailyobserver
Mamunur Rashid
Saturday, 26 August, 2023
At least 186 people were killed in the Rohingya camps in Bangladesh, which can be linked to the criminal activities of different separatist groups.
Rohingya leaders said Myanmar-based armed groups Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and Arakan Solidarity Organisation (RSO) are mainly responsible for those killings. The murders were carried out in order to gain control of the narcotics and arms trade inside the camps.
Saturday, 26 August, 2023
At least 186 people were killed in the Rohingya camps in Bangladesh, which can be linked to the criminal activities of different separatist groups.
Rohingya leaders said Myanmar-based armed groups Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and Arakan Solidarity Organisation (RSO) are mainly responsible for those killings. The murders were carried out in order to gain control of the narcotics and arms trade inside the camps.
Officials, however, blamed the uncertainty over the Rohingya repatriation for the rising crimes.
Of the 186 deaths, 85 took place between August 25, 2022 and August 24 this year.
In comparison, there had been 101 murders overall in the previous five years.
At least 43 Rohingyas have been killed in the camps in the first seven months this year. The figure was 132 from August 25, 2017, to December 31, 2022, according to police data.
Mohammed Zobayer, a Rohingya leader and also the chairman of Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights said "Arsa and RSO have been committing crimes to get their hand on different trades, including narcotics and arms trades. Their objective is to impede the repatriation process by creating chaos."
According to camp residents, many of the killings can be tied to drug deals, extortion, kidnapping, smuggling and turf wars. Some Rohingya separatists also resorted to murder when they did not get ransom money after kidnapping.
The involvement of groups like the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) in such activities has also come to light.
Police records show that a total of 3,223 cases were filed against the Rohingyas between August 25, 2017 and July 31, 2023 for 14 criminal offences, including narcotics and arms smuggling, rape, abduction, and killing. The figure was 2,438 in the first five years since the Rohingya influx began on August 25, 2017.
Officials said both ARSA and RSO have been operating in the Rohingya camps for years, but the law enforcement agencies used to deny it. They, however, have recently admitted the presence of the two armed groups.
The Rapid Action Battalion says some 400 to 450 ARSA members are currently active in the Rohingya camps and they are collecting arms from a neighbouring country to engage in criminal activities.
Source in Armed Police Battalion (APBn) said that both RSO and ARSA are trying to establish control of the camps. On July 7, a gunfight between the two criminal groups left five people dead at Balukhali Rohingya Camp-8 in Ukhiya. All the victims were ARSA members.
These armed groups are particularly targeting the Rohingya community leaders to assert control over the camps and silence the voice against them.
According to police data, at least 33 Rohingya community leaders, locally known as Majhi, have died this year alone at the hands of the two armed groups.
Mahmudul Haque Chowdhury, founder of Rohingya Repatriation and Prevention Committee, alleged that Myanmar is influencing ARSA and RSO to perpetrate criminal activities, including murder, inside the camps. "Their objective is to obstruct Rohingya repatriation."
Apart from ARSA and RSO, six other criminal groups are reportedly active inside the camps. The six -- Nobi Hossain Group, Munna Group, Dakat Hakim Group, Dakat Saleh Group, Islamic Mahas Group, and Al Yeakin, -- are involved in various criminal activities and sabotage, according to law enforcers.
According to several local community leaders, ARSA and the RSO separatist groups enter the camps every evening and parade with arms. Almost every day, they enter Rohingya homes, torture them and snatch their belongings. In such a situation, they are having sleepless nights.
According to a report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Defence published on February 15, at least 11 Rohingya separatist groups are active inside the Rohingya camps - they run extortion rackets, are involved in Yaba trade, human trafficking and kidnapping, and constantly engage in turf wars. Members of these separatist groups are also involved in incidents of rape.
Link : HereOf the 186 deaths, 85 took place between August 25, 2022 and August 24 this year.
In comparison, there had been 101 murders overall in the previous five years.
At least 43 Rohingyas have been killed in the camps in the first seven months this year. The figure was 132 from August 25, 2017, to December 31, 2022, according to police data.
Mohammed Zobayer, a Rohingya leader and also the chairman of Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights said "Arsa and RSO have been committing crimes to get their hand on different trades, including narcotics and arms trades. Their objective is to impede the repatriation process by creating chaos."
According to camp residents, many of the killings can be tied to drug deals, extortion, kidnapping, smuggling and turf wars. Some Rohingya separatists also resorted to murder when they did not get ransom money after kidnapping.
The involvement of groups like the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) and Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) in such activities has also come to light.
Police records show that a total of 3,223 cases were filed against the Rohingyas between August 25, 2017 and July 31, 2023 for 14 criminal offences, including narcotics and arms smuggling, rape, abduction, and killing. The figure was 2,438 in the first five years since the Rohingya influx began on August 25, 2017.
Officials said both ARSA and RSO have been operating in the Rohingya camps for years, but the law enforcement agencies used to deny it. They, however, have recently admitted the presence of the two armed groups.
The Rapid Action Battalion says some 400 to 450 ARSA members are currently active in the Rohingya camps and they are collecting arms from a neighbouring country to engage in criminal activities.
Source in Armed Police Battalion (APBn) said that both RSO and ARSA are trying to establish control of the camps. On July 7, a gunfight between the two criminal groups left five people dead at Balukhali Rohingya Camp-8 in Ukhiya. All the victims were ARSA members.
These armed groups are particularly targeting the Rohingya community leaders to assert control over the camps and silence the voice against them.
According to police data, at least 33 Rohingya community leaders, locally known as Majhi, have died this year alone at the hands of the two armed groups.
Mahmudul Haque Chowdhury, founder of Rohingya Repatriation and Prevention Committee, alleged that Myanmar is influencing ARSA and RSO to perpetrate criminal activities, including murder, inside the camps. "Their objective is to obstruct Rohingya repatriation."
Apart from ARSA and RSO, six other criminal groups are reportedly active inside the camps. The six -- Nobi Hossain Group, Munna Group, Dakat Hakim Group, Dakat Saleh Group, Islamic Mahas Group, and Al Yeakin, -- are involved in various criminal activities and sabotage, according to law enforcers.
According to several local community leaders, ARSA and the RSO separatist groups enter the camps every evening and parade with arms. Almost every day, they enter Rohingya homes, torture them and snatch their belongings. In such a situation, they are having sleepless nights.
According to a report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Defence published on February 15, at least 11 Rohingya separatist groups are active inside the Rohingya camps - they run extortion rackets, are involved in Yaba trade, human trafficking and kidnapping, and constantly engage in turf wars. Members of these separatist groups are also involved in incidents of rape.
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