Rohingyas disguised as Buddhist monks arrested
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Authorities in Rakhine State recently apprehended eight Rohingyas who were illegally trying to enter Myanmar at Peapadome checkpoint in Ann Township, Rakhine State.
A Buddhist monk who was assisting them was also arrested, officials said.
The Rohingyas had disguised themselves as monks and were planning to enter Bago, the capital of the Bago Region, said officials. They had allegedly paid 1,000,000 kyats (about Bt33,000) each to the monk, who planned to smuggle them across the border, said officials.
The monk from Zabyuaye Monastery in Mon State, admitted during interrogation that he had done it for the money, and had taken part in illegal smuggling on at least five other occasions, according to police officer Aye Khin Maung, involved in the case.
Ann Township Police Department said the case was now in the hands of immigration officials and would be dealt with in accordance with Myanmar’s immigration law.
Thousands of Rohingyas, described by the United Nations as one of the world's most persecuted minorities, have fled Rakhine State since clashes there began between Buddhists and Muslims in 2012.
The ongoing conflict – primarily between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims – has led to scores of people being killed and more than 22,000 people left homeless.
