All detained villagers released

By Cha Lu Aung 13 May 2019

Cha Lu Aung/DMG

May 13, Sittwe

After questioning hundreds of villagers in Rathedaung Township’s Kyauktan village in a school since April 30 on suspicion of connections with the AA, the Tatmadaw released the remaining 22 villagers on Monday, villagers said.

“All detained villagers were released. We are glad to hear this news, but we feel so sorry for those who died and were injured in the clash and arrested in the Sittwe police station,” said a villager from Kyauktan village who wants to remain anonymous.

Two villagers who were detained a second time were sent to the Sittwe police station on May 12, the number of arrested villagers in Sittwe police station is now eight, villagers said.

“We released all detained villagers apart from six villagers who confessed that they are members of the AA and two other suspected villagers who have been under interrogation, said Brig-Gen Zaw Min Tun, secretary of the Tatmadaw True News Information Team.

But, the AA’s information officer Khaing Thukha said that these villagers who confessed to be members of the AA are just civilians, confessions were forced out of them through the use of torture; they have no involvement with the AA.

The Tatmadaw interrogated 275 villagers on April 30.  During their questioning, gunfire broke out on the morning of May 2, six detained villagers were killed and eight others were injured.

The Tatmadaw has released 126 villagers for the first time on May 3, then released another 48 villagers on May 6, another 35 villagers on May 8 and 22 others on May 11.