Three Thandwe women sentenced to 10 years in prison on terrorism charges

By DMG 31 Mar 2022

DMG Newsroom
31 March 2022, Thandwe

Three women in Thandwe Township, Arakan State, on trial for financing anti-regime militants, were sentenced to 10 years in prison under Myanmar’s Counter-Terrorism Law on Thursday.

The trio sentenced by the Thandwe District Court have been identified as Nyein Ei Phyu Kyaw, Tin Sandar Win and San Cho Thaik.

The three women were arrested in November and Police Captain Win Naing Soe from Thandwe Myoma police station filed the case against them under the Counter-Terrorism Law, alleging that they had provided financial support to the People’s Defence Force (PDF).

“They were sentenced to 10 years in prison during today’s court hearing,” a Higher Grade Pleader involved in the case said on Thursday. “I don’t know exactly as to whether they will appeal or not. We will decide whether or not to appeal after consulting with the families of the victims.”

The 2-year-old daughter of Nyein Ei Phyu Kyaw died on February 17 while inside Thandwe Prison with her detained mother. The deceased toddler was in Thandwe Prison so that she could be cared for by her mother.

The PDF, which emerged in the wake of last year’s military coup, is a network of anti-junta armed groups that have violently opposed the junta across much of Myanmar, but has not gained an appreciable following in Arakan State.

The military regime has nonetheless charged at least 10 people from Arakan State’s Taungup, Thandwe and Mrauk-U townships for allegedly providing financial aid to the PDF, or otherwise having illegal ties to the anti-regime militia movement.

Author Ko Min Di Par from Mrauk-U Township, who was arrested on suspicion of financing the PDF and charged under the Counter-Terrorism Law, was sentenced to 10 years in prison with hard labour on February 25.