Yousuf, the administrative officer of Maungdaw, block number two was the only block administrative officer to force villagers to pay to sacrifice animals, according to Halim, a human rights watchdog from Maungdaw in Rakhine State.

Hamid, a cattle sales tax collector from the Maungdaw Cattle Market said that sales taxes and municipal charges had already been paid on the 350 head of cattle that were registered to be sacrificed in block number two.

Unlike last year, this year township administration officers were not ordered to collect money for sacrificed animals according to a township administration officer, who wished to remain anonymous. He said: "Last year, our office collected 2,000 kyats from the owners of animals that were sacrificed."

Hamid, a village elder from block number two, said that Yousuf forcibly collected 1,050,000 kyats from the villagers in block number two, whereas the other five block administration officers in Maungdaw collected nothing. Yousuf threatened villagers who could not pay and told them not to sacrifice animals.

Maungdaw Township has six block administration officers, Taungpyo, a Maungdaw sub-town, has five block administration officers. Maungdaw Township also has 98 village tract and village administration officers. None of them, except for Yousuf, collected money on animals to be sacrificed this year, according to Mohamed Rafique, a teacher from Maungdaw Township.

Edited in English by Mark Inkey for BNI