Sixteen senior police officers from townships in Rakhine State have been ordered to transfer to other regions and states.
The police officers were ethnic Arakanese who were fulfilling duties as township police officers and heads of police stations. The order was dated March 21.
“All the police officers ordered to transfer were ethnic Arakanese. No Arakanese police officer is left in Rakhine State. The order did not provide reasons for doing so. As you know, this suggests that they do not trust us. They must have arranged for other police officers to replace us. Township police officers and heads of police stations are important posts that cannot be left vacant,” said an anonymous police officer.
Rakhine State Police Chief Police Colonel Aung Myat Moe said the police officers were transferred in accordance with the rules and regulations of the police force, as some of them had been in their posts for a long time.
“Police headquarters releases transfer orders twice a year, one in December and another after matriculation examinations in March. The process takes place according to the transfer calendar. Most police officers in Rakhine State are members of Arakanese ethnic groups. It is just a coincidence, as no other ethnic groups work as police in Rakhine State. It has nothing to do with their ethnic origin,” said Pol-Col Aung Myat Moe.
Critics claimed that Arakanese police officers were transferred because high-ranking police officials had lost trust in them due to recent riots in Rakhine State.
The police officers were township police officers and heads of police stations from Sittwe, Minbya, Myebon, Pauktaw, Ponnagyun and Ramree townships in Rakhine State and were transferred to various posts in other states and regions as well as in other police departments.
Translated from Burmese by Myint Win Thein.
