53 Muslims arrested in Thandwe Twsp over recent days

By DMG 27 Aug 2022

DMG Newsroom
27 August 2022, Thandwe 

Fifty-three Muslims en route to Yangon have been arrested in Arakan State’s Thandwe Township in recent days, according to police officials from the Thandwe police station. 

Twenty-eight Muslims from Maungdaw Township, northern Arakan State, were arrested in Thandwe’s Got ward on August 19. Fourteen more were arrested on August 23, and another 11 were detained on August 26, according to the Thandwe police station.

 “The Muslims were being brought to Yangon by human traffickers for work,” a police officer told DMG. “The Muslims had to pay K3.5 million to human traffickers. When the boat encountered a storm while heading to Yangon, the boatmen and human traffickers took the Muslims on the boat to the shore and left them in Got ward.” 

The detained Muslims include 39 men and 14 women, said the police officer, who added that some of them were arrested while hiding in the forest after they were left on a Thandwe Township beach by their human traffickers. 

The 53 Muslims are currently being held at the Thandwe police station and are facing charges under Myanmar’s Immigration Act. 

In December, 33 Muslims who were arrested in Taungup Township, Arakan State, were sentenced to one year in prison under the Immigration Act. 

Most Muslims in Arakan State are denied freedom of movement. Because of travel restrictions imposed by successive governments, they cannot travel freely within or outside of Arakan State. Many nonetheless undertake perilous journeys by boat or other means, seeking employment opportunities and a chance at a better life beyond Myanmar’s borders.