The day on 25th August, 2017 the Myanmar government with military and Rakhine extremists created a long planwise situation to drag away the minority Rohingya Muslims from their country of origin. At midnight, the military together with Rakhines commenced torching villages with launchers in Buthidaung, Rathidaung and Maungdow. When the Rohingyas came to know that the villages on fire, they began coming out from their houses and the military open fired toward the people cutting the others with swards. In the morning, the military arrested hundreds of Rohingys and females were taken away and many more were molest, assaulted and raped before the eyes of their dear and near ones. The Rakhines looted away the valuables and burned the empty houses.
The rest Rohingyas who could escape from the deadly firing started walking through the forests with their family members and villagers where many had to walk more then ten days to reach Naf river to cross to Bangladesh. Crossing the Naf river the Rohingyas got welcoming from the government of Bangladesh and her generous people. They were given food, water, cash money and shelters.
I met a young woman in September, 2017 who told the horrific things she encounter that she newly wedded young husband and father-in-law were shot in front of her. She said, It is unacceptably hurt touching to my juvenile husband was shot and dying in front of me where I could do nothing for him and even I could not feet him water that he asked for. Then I was taken to an empty house together with my mother and other five women where the military attempted to take off my clothes and my mother was slaughtered before my eyes as she tried to prevent the military from raping. I was beaten very badly with handle of gun that I fell down and I remember that three military raped me then I lost my conscious. When her consciousness came back she found herself naked while the house was on fire. She broke and sneaks out from a corner of the house and crept to the paddy field. In the middle of the paddy field, she met her uncle who was sitting there since morning that he came there to graze cattle. He immediately gave her the shirt he was wearing so that she can cover her body.
National and international journalists and humanitarian workers hurried to the border areas to help report and support the coming Rohingyas from Myanmar. In few days later on, the government of Bangladesh with NGOs built shelters and registered the displaced Rohingyas.
In 2018, two attempt of repatriation failed as the Rohingyas were unwilling to go back to the same persecution before any justice is happen. They want the culprits to be arrested so that they get justification from the ICC and ICJ where Gambia filed case on behalf of the Rohingya minority and case is still undergoing.
Mohammed Shafi, RANE local representative and Rohingya
Rohingya Action North East 