Forced labor for road construction in Maungdaw

Kaladan Press
Monday, 24 May 2010
Maungdaw, Arakan State: The Burma’s border security force-(Nasaka) has been using villagers in Maungdaw Township as forced labourers for road construction since the beginning of May, said a local trader.

The commander of Nasaka camp No. 12 of Nasaka area No. 5 ordered nearby villagers to construct the Pawet Chaung-Sali Pyin village Road, which is a mile long as of the beginning of this month.

As a result, every day, in turn, around 100 villagers have to go to the work site. The authorities are also constructing a bridge across the Mingala Gyi Chaung River of Nasaka area No. 5 with forced labor from villagers. Villagers have to provide wooden logs or pillars cut from the forests to construct the bridge.

“I had to go to the work site five times in one month,” a villager said.

But, non-Rohingya villagers are excluded from forced labour. Villagers, unable to go to the work site for construction of the road and bridge have to pay the Nasaka Kyat 2,000 per day.

Poor villagers are having difficulty in supporting their family, when they go to the work site, said a village elder.

However, the military regime has declared that there is no forced labour in the country.

Ignoring, international pressure, the junta authorities have been extracting forced labor from people across the country for a long time. www.kaladanpress.org