03/05/2026
Allegations Emerge of Ferrymen and ARSA Members Being Captured and Tortured by RSO near Dhuphar Island
It is reported that on April 27, 2026, near Dhuphar Island, ARSA members and ferrymen were captured and tortured by the RSO group. Regarding the incident, a ferryman named U Shona Myia made revelations based on the testimony of a ferryman who escaped.
The Request for Help and the Capture
According to the testimony, some ARSA members approached two ferrymen and requested assistance to be transported to the border of Myanmar's Arakan State. While the ferrymen were transporting them by boat and stopped briefly near Dhuphar Island, three RSO members arrived with two guns and detained nine ARSA members and the two ferrymen.
It is further reported that they first confiscated the phones, then summoned a motorboat from the beach of Kyauk Chaung village, made all detainees wear blindfolds, tied them up, and took them to an unknown location.
Narcotics Storage Depot and Torture
The testimony states that the location to which the RSO members took them was their place of residence, which also served as a place for transporting, storing, and distributing narcotics. The escapee testified that at that location, the two ferrymen were bound hand and foot and were intentionally beaten with sand rods for six consecutive days.
RSO's Repressions and Drug Trafficking
According to the testimony, RSO members are not only oppressing Rohingya people but are also carrying out repressions in refugee camps and border areas within Bangladesh. It is reported that they are committing killings, extortion, and destroying and concealing corpses, and are cooperating with the terrorist Arakan Army (AA) in transporting goods such as rice, oil, and cement from Bangladesh. Furthermore, it is stated that upon re-entering from Bangladesh, they transport narcotics (200 to 300 units) and are involved in distributing them within the refugee camps.
Current Situation and Demand
As of now, one of the ferrymen remains tied up, and it is reported that three of the nine ARSA members who were captured and taken have reached a life-threatening condition. The status of the other members remains unknown to date.
When the two ferrymen requested their release, RSO members reportedly replied, "We will release them if we receive orders from Mr Ayoub, Malawi Mamatur Nur, Hafez Saudul Amin, Adu Halim, and Halafutia." RSO members also said, "We act as ordered by their Commanders."
The testifying ferryman has requested that the Government of Bangladesh take action to ensure justice for incidents such as this.
