Military again detains ward administrator in Sittwe

By Aung Htein 06 Oct 2020

Aung Htein | DMG
6 October 2020, Sittwe 

The military took custody once again of a detained village administrator in the Arakan State capital Sittwe who was briefly turned over to police after his initial arrest by Tatmadaw personnel on Saturday. 

U Than Kyaw Hlaing, the administrator of Tawkan village, was held over the weekend at the Sittwe Township police station before finding himself back in military custody on Monday.

U Kyaw Than, the brother-in-law of U Than Kyaw Hlaing, said on Tuesday: “According to police records, he was taken by Battalion 354 yesterday. We don’t know where he is being detained now.”  

According to family members, the administrator was remanded into custody under the Counter-Terrorism Law.  

Lawyer U Zaw Zaw Min of the Arakan Human Rights Defenders and Promoters Association said it is against the law for the military to detain a suspect again after handing him over to police. 

“It is mental torture, and is not allowed under the law. If he was to be investigated, it must be done by law enforcement personnel. This is unlawful detention,” U Zaw Zaw Min said. 

On October 6, ward and village administrators in Sittwe called for the release of their colleague. 

DMG was unable to contact Tatmadaw spokesman Major-General Zaw Min Tun for comment. 

On October 1, the Sittwe District Court began hearing the case of rice miller U Ye Kyaw Tun from Sabarhtar village in Ponnagyun Township, who was detained and charged under Sections 50(j) and 52(a) of the Counter-Terrorism Law for allegedly supplying food to the Arakan Army (AA). 

The military has also opened cases against Agnuthit village administrator U Maung Zaw, 40, and the 42-year-old administrator of Ywarthitkay village in Myebon Township under Sections 50(j) and 52(b) of Counter-Terrorism Law for their alleged ties to the AA.  

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. 

The number of people arrested by the Myanmar military on suspicion of having ties to the Arakan Army has been on the rise over the past two years and civilian casualties have continued to climb amid ongoing conflict.