Ten Muslims detained at Ann military checkpoint

By DMG 01 Apr 2022

DMG Newsroom
1 April 2022, Ann

Ten Muslims were detained at a military checkpoint on Thursday evening in Arakan State’s Ann Township.

The four males and six females were found hiding in the trunk of a coach bus heading from Sittwe to Yangon.

“Yes, we have detained 10 Muslims. But we have not yet asked them for details because we are busy with [providing security for] the matriculation exams,” said Police Captain Myo Kyi, chief of the Ann Township police station.

Police have opened a case against them under Section 13(1) of the Immigration Act. Muslims illegally travelling to Yangon from Arakan State are often found at the checkpoint in Ann, according to local police.

Police have also filed a complaint against the driver and conductor of the bus under Section 367 of the Penal Code, which covers kidnapping and abduction potentially leading to grievous harm and/or enslavement. If convicted, the pair face up to 10 years in prison.

Most Muslims in Arakan State are denied freedom of movement. Due to travel restrictions imposed by successive governments, they cannot travel freely within or outside of Arakan State.

One Muslim from Buthidaung Township said: “We can’t go anywhere. We want to go abroad to find a job, but we are arrested once we leave Arakan State.”

Four Muslims were also arrested at the military checkpoint in Ann Township on March 12, and charged under Section 6 (2) and (3) of the Immigration Act.

In early March, the junta-controlled Ministry of Immigration and Population introduced new travel restrictions for all Myanmar citizens, making national registration cards (NRCs) necessary for travel, and to stay anywhere other than one’s own home, as of April 1.

Limited job opportunities in Arakan State lead many locals to seek employment in Myanmar’s larger cities, or abroad.