Tatmadaw arrests village administrator in Sittwe Twsp

By Aung Htein 03 Oct 2020

Aung Htein | DMG
3 October 2020, Sittwe 

Tatmadaw troops took into their custody the administrator of Tawkan village in Arakan State’s Sittwe Township on October 3, according to his family members. 

Local villagers said a Tatmadaw column of about 50 soldiers entered Tawkan village on Saturday afternoon and checked the household registration documents and National Registration Cards of village residents. 

After checking the documents, the military contingent took away the village administrator, 37-year-old U Tun Kyaw Hlaing, said his brother-in-law U Kyaw Than. 

“There have been instances where the Tatmadaw takes away anyone they suspect. They do not release them and torture them. Only when the torture gets out of hand, they send them to the police, to the hospital,” U Kyaw Than told DMG.  

“We have been hearing about and seeing these sorts of cases. Because of these instances in the past, U Tun Kyaw Hlaing’s family have been very worried about his fate.” 

The detained administrator’s family has reported to the Sittwe Township administrator by phone and sought help for his release, U Kyaw Than said. 

Family members are deeply concerned as the administrator had not returned home as of Saturday evening and they are not aware of his whereabouts. 

Two men from Theintan village, Sittwe Township, were also arrested by Tatmadaw troops on October 1, and have not been released or heard from since, according to their families. 

In another case of village administrators taken into custody earlier this year, Angu Ywar Thit village administrator U Maung Zaw and Ywar Thit Kay village administrator U Kyaw Myint, both from Myebon Township, were arrested on May 30. They were detained on suspicion of being in contact with the Arakan Army and have since been charged under Sections 50(j) and 52(b) of the Counter-Terrorism Law. 

Additionally, a ward administrator in Myebon town, U Aung Than, was arrested on June 3 and likewise was charged under sections 50(j) and 52(b) of the Counter-Terrorism Law.