My name is Maung Chay,

from a village in Maungdaw Township,

Rakhine State, Myanmar
Interviewed in Sittwe, October 10, 2017

When I was a child, my grandfather told me about

what the Bengali Muslims did to them in 1942. My
grandmother’s parents - both of them - were killed in
front of her own eyes.

She was only a 10 year old child at that time. The

sight of that was so horrible that she became
unconscious. They did not kill her but they kidnapped
her and took her along with them. Later she was forced
to marry their elder son. My grandfather told me about this frequently, when I was child.
There is more than just distance between brother and sister. The entire future of each
was different.

In 1990, I went to Thiri Kone Boung Village and met with my grandmother there. She
could not speak Rakhine language well. She called my name and spoke using the
Muslim’s Bengali language.

There were so many Buddhists killed in 1942. My grandparents and relatives fled to
Dinaspur (just over the border in, then, India) with the help of the British. One of my
grandfathers was slashed with a sword on the side of his face. Many Rakhine Buddhists
had to flee. That 1942 massacre and mayhem was told to me by my grandfather when I
was young.

While I was growing up, two sons of my grandmother from Thiri Kone Boung Village,
often visited us when they came to Maungdaw because of health issues. But we did not
have much of a relationship with them. The elder son of my grandmother, named
Nurosilam, is still alive and lives there. I moved to Thandwe after 1990 because we
could do better business there.

Around 1990, a policeman named Ko Win Aung, was hacked to death by Muslim people.
One of the monks from Myo Oo monastery at the entrance gate of Maungdaw, saw the
event and shouted when Muslim people were trying to dispose of the corpse. When the
monk shouted, we Rakhine organized and move in on that place and found the corpse of
policeman. I was a young age at that time, I helped to lift the dead body and I had
blood stains on both of my hands. This kind of tragedy happened in Maungdaw too
often.

These Bengali Muslims could kill whenever they met Rakhine Buddhists in any way or
any place, and then they try to dispose of the dead bodies so that they will not be
blamed. But, no Kalars (term for Bengali) are killed by Rakhine people at all.

Interviewed by Rick Heizman 17 rick@rickhiezmanreality.com

And then, sometime in 1990, there was a one family with 5 members from the northern
part of Maungdaw - the whole family was killed. There were two children, one
grandfather, and the wife and husband. All were beheaded and the children’s testicles
were mutilated. For that tragedy we helped for the funeral. Those kinds of events really
happened. Not only people from here were killed but security guards were also
murdered and their weapons were taken.

These same events frequently happened here. When we were children, there were not
many Kalar villages, and their population was not too much. Over time though, 200
households became 400/500/700/800 households and the population increased greatly.

We often visited Kalar villages where we saw young girls around 13 years old arranged
to get married with rich men - who might already have two or three wives. Their
population is increasing day by day. Women give birth to children annually, as they had
no jobs, and their duty was delivering babies only. Young girls, when they matured, were
not allowed to go outside and not permitted to go to school.

Small villages with 200 households in the past became 700-1000 households. In 1998,
the Bengalis tried to seize our land after a breakdown of authority. We local Rakhine
people had to defend our western border with our own strength and unity.

And then, Kalars are doing huge business with narcotics trafficking. The rich people
became richer by making money from the drug business. When they became rich, they
flatter themselves by giving money to poor people. The main business of rich people is
drugs.

They tried to take over our land in 1998, but, it didn't happen because we could defend
ourselves. It also happened in 2012 and 2016.

Interviewed by Rick Heizman 18 rick@rickhiezmanreality.com

 My name is U Pho Mra,
from Gudaung village, Buthidaung Township,
Rakhine State, Myanmar
Interviewed January 19, 2018

U Pho Mra recounts the June 19, 2012 attacks

by Bengali Muslims, which left 10 Rakhine
Buddhists dead, and in pieces.

On June 19, 2012, hundreds of Bengali Muslims

came across the fields from their very large village.
Part of our Rakhine Buddhist village was set on fire.
Many men and boys had to stand in front of the
village and try to prevent the Bengalis from reaching
the village and starting more fires.

The Muslims were yelling such things as, “Allahu Akbar!” (Allah is the Greatest),
“Maug Kara Hiri” (Cut the Heads off the Buddhists), “This is Islamic land, you are
infidels, go away or we kill you.” Those of us who could not fight - old people, women,
and children - had to flee for safety to the back of the village.

Finally some security forces came from Rathedaung, and the fighting was stopped. But
later we realized that ten men and boys were missing. Some of us said we need to
search for them, but the policeman said “No, it is too dangerous now.”

The next day we searched all around, with the policemen, for protection. Finally we went
to the Muslim village to search. We noted that the village had a moat around it, with
water and mud and broken glass in it. After we got in the village, with the security
forces, we found a fresh grave, under a Muslim house with parts of the bodies of our
people. Then we found another grave, also under a Muslim house, and then another.

All of our 10 missing men were hidden and buried under the houses of the Bengalis.
It was so horrible. Many of the heads were cut off, and many arms and legs were cut off.
Some graves had no heads, and some had several heads - it was completely horrific.

Interviewed by Rick Heizman 11 rick@rickhiezmanreality.com

 A man from Buthidaung,
Buthidaung Township, Rakhine State, Myanmar
Interviewed at a old abandoned ruined mosque,
Buthidaung, October 1, 2017

[This man didn’t want his face visible. He is a visible government

official in Buthidaung, which has a lot of Bengali Muslims, and he has
concerns that you will understand at the end of this interview.]

In 1942, in the wake of a huge massacre of 30,000 Buddhists in

Maungdaw, by Bengali Muslims, there were tens of thousands of
Buddhists fleeing to Buthidaung for safety, or so they thought.
The distance is not long - about 30 miles - but it is up and down a
formidable mountain range - The Mayu Mountains - which are
extremely steep and jungle covered. Large groups of several
hundred each would have to walk and climb with old people, women
and children in the middle, and men and boys walking on the
outside, displaying swords, knives, or clubs to keep the Muslim killers at bay.

The Buddhists would shout, “Let us pass through, we don’t harm you, we are leaving here, don’t
kill us, just let us go.” Even with that being said, sometimes large groups of Muslims would
attack a group and overwhelm it, killing everyone they could.

Coming down from the mountains to Buthidaung, at the foot of the mountain, there was a large
Muslim village that the Buddhist refugees would have to pass through. The path went by this
mosque, [where I am doing the interview], now old and ruined. [It was ruined by a cyclone in
2010, and abandoned.] The Muslims at this village said such things as, “Welcome, we are
friendly, don’t be afraid of us. You are almost to the town of Buthidaung, but rest here for
awhile, eat some food with us, we are your friends. Put your things down here, you don’t need
weapons right now, put your things down and come eat with us, you must be so hungry. Come
in to the mosque, where we have food.”

The Rakhine people are simple honest Buddhists and they did as was suggested. They put down
their goods and weapons, and walked into the mosque, and yes - there was food. The hungry
and exhausted Buddhists were eating the food, and then all of a sudden many Muslims ran in
with knives and swords and killed everyone.

Everyone, except one 17 year old boy, who escaped the carnage. His name is U Shwe Tha Aung,
and it was from him that I know of this tragedy. He died last year at 92 years old. He said the
experience never left his mind - everyday, for the rest of his life, he recalled every detail of the
horror.

In the chaos of the massacres there was a well-respected British appointed Burmese officer
trying hard to bring the killings to an end, and bring some stability and order to this area. His
name was U Kyaw Khine. He was abruptly assassinated one day - by Muslims. It was known that
news of his death would be a calamity for the Rakhine Buddhists, and officials didn’t announce
his death for awhile, fearing even greater chaos.

A few years later the government sent Bo Yan Aung, one of the ’Thirty Comrades’ to Sittwe to
set up a new administration, and to stop the violence. He sent his two lieutenants, Bo Yan Naing
and Bo Myo Nyunt to Maungdaw to negotiate with the Muslim leaders. They arrived in
Maungdaw, and at the 'welcoming dinner' they were stabbed and chopped to death. Now you
might understand why this person speaking does not want his face shown.
Interviewed by Rick Heizman 10 rick@rickhiezmanreality.com