Narinjara News, 24 February 2023

A Muslim manager of Phwe Yar Kone IDP camp in Say Tha Mar Gyi village-tractunder Sittwe township, who is accused of raping more than 40 refugee womenduring 2012 to 2022, has been arrested by the police.

U Osman Gawni, who is also accused of a murder attempt in the internallydisplaced people’s camp, now being detained in Sittwe as the victims haveraised voices for stringent punishments to him.

The manager allegedly threatened the victims with physical assaults and thusabused 40 female refugees including married women, mental patients and alsominors.

One of the rape victims filed a case in Sittwe township court last year undersections 923 and 376 of the penal code. But the victim's elder brother waspressurized to settle the case out of the court and finally she withdrew thecharge, said a women's rights activist.

Soon after the incident, Osman Gawni along with his brother and friends startedthreatening other rape victims not to talk about the matter to anyone.Otherwise they were warned with kicking out of the camp and even killed if thesituation arises. So the women remained
silent for all the days.

But later 9 women including rape victims filed a complaintagainst Osman Gawni on 3 September last year demanding action against him.

A victim informed that the police have already detained the perpetrator, but novisible action is taken till now.

“Osman Gawni and U Maung Maung Than committed the crime. They threatened totake us out of the camp if we go to the police station. Our lives have beenseverely affected. We want both of them to go to the jail. They must not stayin our camp,” she added.


Daw Nyo Aye, chairperson of Rakhine Women's League, which has been helping thevictims, said that there might be many more rape victims in the camps.

“May victims have not spoken yet for various reasons. We are helping them toget justice without considering their ethnicity or religions. When theynarrated their depressing stories, we ourselves felt a deep pain. For us, theyare women with no religious identities and they should get justice,” added thelady.

An underage girl, who was also among the victims, demanded the death penalty tothe manager and his close supporters.

“My life has been ruined. I want him to be hanged or atleast imprisoned for the entire life,” she asserted.

Narinjara News contacted the Sittwe Myoma police station to get details aboutthe incident, but it turned futile.

The rape victims now suspect that this kind of crimes may have taken place inother IDP camps too. The women are afraid of speaking about the matter of rapefor various family and social reasons and hence the rape victims now claim thatthe accused must be punished to set an
example in  the society.