Families unable to contact dozens of detained Sittwe villagers

By Admin 27 Jun 2024

DMG Newsroom
27 June 2024, Sittwe

Family members say they are worried about the fate of 46 men from Amyint Kyun Village in Sittwe Township, Arakan State, who were arrested by the regime on June 22.

About 60 junta soldiers in four military trucks entered Amyint Kyun Village, gathered the locals in the middle of the village and arrested 46 men whose ages ranged from 18 to more than 40 years old.

“They were arrested for questioning. We were told that they would be released after they were interrogated. We have not been in contact with them and their whereabouts remain unknown,” said a family member of one of the arrestees.

The regime told residents to move out of Amyint Kyun Village by June 26, forcing them to flee to Ponnagyun and Rathedaung townships.

“The General Administration Department notified us to move out of the village by June 26. The regime will transport us to Sittwe, but will not arrange accommodation. We don’t want to live in an area controlled by the regime, so we fled to the area held by the Arakkha Army (AA),” said a Sittwe resident.

Junta troops are now deployed in 14 villages including Byaing Phyu, where the regime massacred nearly 80 people in late May, bordering Rathedaung and Ponnagyun townships.

About 50 out of some 200 residents of Mingan Ward in Arakan State’s Sittwe Town who were detained by the regime were reportedly released on bail on June 18.

The regime arrested more than 300 residents of Byaing Phyu Village in Sittwe Township on May 29, killing at least 76 people, burning many of their bodies and prosecuting some people.

The military’s Regional Operations Command, Infantry Battalion Nos. 20, 232, 270 and Light Infantry Battalion Nos. 34 and 354, as well as Police Battalion Nos. 12 and 36, are based in Sittwe.

The regime has also been accused of planting landmines around the town.