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Rohingya Muslims being sent back to Myanmar’s Rakhine state after being detained at sea en route to Malaysia in November last year. 2018. Photo: AFP

Militant Rohingya group raises funds in Malaysia by extorting money from Muslim refugees

  • The arrest of four Rohingyas, including one believed to have links to a pro-Isis terror cell, has uncovered an extortion racket operating in seven states
  • While Malaysia has called for justice for the persecuted minority group, the realisation that some members could be a security threat has caused disquiet
Rohingya Muslims

A militant group of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar is actively fundraising in Malaysia – to the tune of RM80,000 (US$19,500) – from Rohingya refugees working and sheltering in Malaysia, according to police.

The arrest of four Rohingyas by counterterrorism police in recent months uncovered an extortion racket to fund the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa), which operates in seven states in Peninsular Malaysia.

One of the detained Rohingyas is believed to have links with a pro-Islamic State (Isis) cell involved in a terror plot to attack a Hindu temple, lending credence to long-held fears that the members of the persecuted Muslim minority could easily be recruited by militant groups.

Rohingyas make up over half – 54 per cent – of the 176,000 refugees in Malaysia, according to United Nations figures, but the majority have no militant leanings, say analysts and police.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya have fled Myanmar’s western Rakhine state to Bangladesh and neighbouring Asian countries in recent years, with the Myanmar military accused of committing atrocities against them.

Kuala Lumpur has been among the most vocal proponents of justice for the Rohingya, including suggesting Myanmar grant them citizenship, but the realisation that members of the community could be a domestic security threat is causing disquiet among Malaysian security agencies.

Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, head of the Malaysian police’s counterterrorism division, told This Week In Asia: “Arsa has collected 80,000 ringgit in Malaysia. The money is then sent to Bangladesh via hawala and Western Union.”

Rohingya refugees living in a no-man’s land between Myanmar and Bangladesh. Photo: AP

Hawala is an alternative remittance channel that exists outside traditional banking systems.

According to Faran Jeffery from the Britain-based counterterrorism think tank ITCT, Arsa operates in Myanmar as well as Bangladesh.

“Although Bangladesh officially denies that Arsa exists in Bangladesh, there’s enough evidence and reports to suggest that they not only exist in Bangladesh but also have some training camps along the border [with Myanmar],” Faran said.

Arsa emerged sometime in 2017, grabbing international headlines that August after the group launched attacks on 30 police posts in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, where most of the country’s 1.1 million Rohingyas previously lived.

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Armed with machetes and crude weapons, Arsa’s predawn raids killed 12 members of the security forces, triggering a ferocious crackdown by Myanmar security forces which sent over 700,000 Rohingyas fleeing to neighbouring Bangladesh.

Hundreds were killed in the so-called military clearance operations.

UN human rights investigators accused Myanmar’s security forces of carrying out rape, arson and murder with “genocidal intent” during the crackdown.

The US State Department this week announced that it had imposed sanctions against four Myanmar generals, including the commander-in-chief, for their roles in ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah said while help was given to those seeking refuge and asylum based on humanitarian considerations, the government was also “cognisant of the security concerns the refugees and asylum seekers” might pose.

“As a matter of priority, Malaysia will enforce its laws on any criminal activities committed within its territory,” he said.

Saifuddin said the home affairs ministry thoroughly vetted asylum seekers, a process involving the police and immigration department, before they were issued a UNHCR card.

Foreign Minister Saifuddin Abdullah (pictured on right) said his ministry was preparing a paper on the role that Malaysia could play in helping the Rohingya refugees. Photo: AP

Malaysian counterterrorism chief Ayob stressed that most Rohingyas rejected Arsa and only a “tiny number” of them were involved with the group.

Many of them (Rohingyas) give money to Arsa because they have been threatened
Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, head of the Special Branch

“Many [Rohingyas] give money to Arsa because they have been threatened. They still have families in Rakhine state in Myanmar and Arsa has threatened to hurt their families there,” he said. “Rohingyas are extorted in the state of Kedah, which is like the centre, [and] Penang, Perak, Selangor, Kelantan, Terengganu and Johor.”

Arsa members involved in the extortion racket in Malaysia were “like gangsters” and had been arrested by counterterrorism police for threatening people, Ayob said. “They would go to the shops where Rohingyas gather during the weekends to extort money.”

A card-carrying UN refugee arrested early this month in Kedah was a key figure in the extortion racket, he said.

“Due to limited resources, Arsa has resorted to some criminal activities to keep its finances rolling,” said ITCT’s Faran. “Arsa likes to portray itself as a group looking out for Rohingya rights but any militant group – especially those with limited resources like Arsa – is prone to criminal activities.”

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The money was believed to be used for weapon purchases, salaries of important militant figures, and for paying non-members and informants for intelligence or favours, he said.

Lilianne Fan, chair of Asia-Pacific Refugee Rights Network’s Rohingya Working Group, said while they had received numerous reports of criminal and militant groups extorting money from Rohingya refugees in the camps in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, there had been none from Malaysia.

“I have not heard directly of such extortion happening in Malaysia, but it is likely that Rohingya refugees will be unwilling to report such incidents openly,” Fan said.

Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh visits a Rohingya refugee camp near Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, in January last year. Photo: AP

Arsa, which had previously disavowed ties with global jihadist groups such as al-Qaeda and Isis, is evolving as a militant group, according to security analysts.

The Rohingya arrested for alleged involvement with a pro-Isis cell that planned to launch terror attacks in Malaysia has been charged in court.

“Mohamad Husin B. Jamal was a strong supporter of Arsa and Isis. He was eventually slapped with three charges – possessing materials related to a terrorist group, supporting a terrorist group and supporting a terrorist group to launch an attack,” said Ayob from the Malaysian police.

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Arsa has directly or indirectly played a role in the radicalisation of many Rohingya Muslims. Some recent terrorist plots in Central Asia, including those in the name of Isis, had been linked to Rohingya suspects, according to Faran from ITCT.

“The Rohingya, who are already very marginalised, are an easy target for radical preachers and recruiters to convince to carry out terrorism,” he said.

The spread of these groups’ influence could be prevented by creating livelihood opportunities for refugees in a way that did not undermine the livelihoods of host communities, said the Rohingya Working Group’s Fan.

There is also a need to provide education and skill-development opportunities for Rohingya refugee youth as well as supporting Rohingya civil society.

“The vast majority of Rohingya refugees want to go home to Rakhine state. However, they want to return with guarantees that they will not be killed or expelled again from their homeland,” Fan said.

“Rohingyas request security, restoration of citizenship which would guarantee basic human rights, [the] restitution of land and property [and] accountability for crimes against humanity committed against them.”

Saifuddin, Malaysia’s foreign minister, believes the creation of a conducive environment in Myanmar will enable many Rohingyas in Malaysia to return to their places of origin.

“Malaysia has underlined the importance of the granting of Myanmar citizenship to the Rohingyas to safeguard their interest and safety once they return to Rakhine state,” said Saifuddin, adding that any repatriation must be done in consultation with the refugees.

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