Buthidaung man arrested over alleged links to Arakan Army

By Admin 15 Dec 2023

DMG Newsroom
15 December 2023, Buthidaung

A local man from Ward-4 in Buthidaung, Arakan State, has been arrested on suspicion of having ties to the Arakan Army (AA).

Regime soldiers abducted U Aung Than Tun, 35, from his home on November 26 for allegedly providing financial support to the AA, and he was arraigned at the Buthidaung Township Court on December 14.

“He [U Aung Than Tun] was remanded yesterday. He makes a living as a brickmaker and has no links with any organisations,” said a source close to the accused.

Telegram accounts supporting the military junta said the regime will file a lawsuit against U Aung Than Tun under Section 17(1) and (2) of the Unlawful Associations Act for providing K2 million to the AA. Several residents in Arakan State have been reportedly arrested by the regime in recent weeks for supporting AA and anti-regime forces (PDF) and spreading misinformation on social media to create ethnic conflict.

The regime has been arresting and prosecuting residents for various reasons during the fighting, with anxieties high among members of the public.

“The regime unjustly arrested some locals in Arakan State. Among the arrestees are junta-appointed ward and village administrators. Some residents dare not stay in urban areas and flee to safer locations,” said a local man in Buthidaung.

The regime arrested eight local people including a ward administrator in Buthidaung on November 14, and four residents in Ywama Village on December 7.

Human rights activists say the regime’s arrests in Arakan State are intended to instil fear.

Since renewed fighting with the Arakan Army broke out on November 13, Myanmar’s military regime has arrested seven residents in Sittwe, Kyaukphyu, Ann and Thandwe on suspicion of spreading propaganda with the aim of disrupting national stability and charged the accused under Sections 505(a) and (b) of the Penal Code.