KALADAN NEWS

 

Dated: Thursday, January 13, 2005

 

Surrendered Burmese Insurgent Entered Bangladesh

 

Maungdaw, Jan-13: Seven members of Democratic Party of Arakan (DPA) re-entered Bangladesh on January 2, 2005 that surrendered to the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) troops on 21 December 2004, said Maung Ni from Maungdaw Town, Arakan State, Burma.

 

Some DPA members including 100 family members have surrendered to the SPDC troops, based in Platwa township of Chin State with 20 modern guns from Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, he more added.

 

The surrendered DPA members have been shifted to Maungdaw Township after their surrender and placed them at a monastery of Maungdaw 3-mile. They were not allowed to move freely without the permission of the concerned SPDC authorities and have to work for troops. So, they felt uneasy and like a prison for them, said a Rakhine from Cox’s Bazar, who requested not to mention his name.

 

The seven DPA members are not originally from Arakan State, they are inhabitants of Bandarban District, Chittagong Hill Tracts and Bangladeshi citizens. There are many Bangladeshi Rakhines or Marmas got memberships in DPA while it formed in Bangladesh soil, he further said.

 

On January 2, in hopes of escaping from that monastery, the said seven Bangladeshi of DPA members again fled to Bangladesh by boat with cooperation of 4-local people of Aung Bala model village of Maungdaw Township. These four people were arrested by Burmese military and put in jail, he continued.

 

The DPA members were forcibly collecting money from local people, robbing Bangladeshi banks, and abducting local businessmen and also killed Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) or armed forces with the cooperation of Bangladeshi members of DPA, while they were present in Bangladesh soil, said another Rakhine from Cox’s Bazar who also preferred not to mention his name.

 

According to a Rakhine intellectual from Chittagong, the Buddhist people of Bandarban District of Chittagong Hill Tracts prefer to call them Marmars or Rakhines but the Rakhine people who are living in Rangamati and Khagrachari Districts of Bangladesh proudly prefer to call them “Magh” and claim that they are the descendants of India’s Magada State. All the groups of Magh, Marama and Rakhine have responsibility to fight for the freedom of Arakan, as they received helps from Arakan’s Kings in ancient period for their settlement.

 

When asked from the said intellectual, the reason of Bangladeshi people surrendered to SPDC troops, said, “It is clear that with hoping of getting more facilities from the SPDC authorities.”

 

The DPA is a member organization of National Council of Union of Burma (NCUB) and Arakan National Council (ANC), which is recently formed. This DPA is also a split group of National United Party of Arakan (NUPA). ##

 

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