In the northern part of Maungdaw Township, near Pwint Phyu Chaung village, the Arakan Army (AA) has been constructing a military camp and is dismantling Rohingya-owned houses to obtain the timber needed, according to local residents speaking to Wsnews24.
To transport the timber taken from these demolished houses, residents of Pwint Phyu Chaung are being forced into unpaid labor. Each household must provide at least one person to carry timber under coercion. If a family cannot supply a worker, they are being compelled to pay a fine of 50,000 kyats, according to testimonies from local villagers.
Rakhine issue observers and human rights organizations have condemned the destruction of homes and forced labor, describing them as serious violations of fundamental human rights. They stressed that AA is engaging in abuse of power and warned that the international community must intervene.
A UNHCR official from the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh urged immediate investigations and preventive measures against the Arakan Army based on the growing body of evidence collected by international organizations and human rights monitors.
