Village headman beaten and kidnapped in Maungdaw

31 December 2016
Village headman beaten and kidnapped in Maungdaw
Scene in the Ngakhura village on the Bangladesh-Myanmar border on December 21. Photo: EPA

The State Counsellor Office issued a news release which says a 100-household head in Gwasone village, Maungdaw Township was beaten by six men armed with swords, tied up and then kidnapped.
Six attackers armed with sticks and swords beat the Muslim 100-household head Anna Muller from Gwasone village while he was visiting Gwasone Middle village for some work on December 29 in the evening. He was tied and taken away by his attackers to the Mayu mountain range, the news release says.
News and Periodicals Enterprise General Manager Ye Naing told Mizzima that after the coordinated armed attacks on police border post on October 9, some people who have been involved in local development work, had contact with news media or had contact with local military and police units have been intimidated, or had their family threatened, and some have been killed in this Maungdaw Township.
An office clerk from Maungdaw Township, Yaydwinkyun village administrator’s office was killed on December 24 and a Bengali librarian was similarly killed after he talked to the media interview on December 22 and another man called Sirazuhut was similarly killed on December 26. All three of them had contacts with the local authorities.
The local authorities are reported to be looking for Anna Muller.