Tatmadaw arrests Maei town ANP chairperson

By Myo Myint Zaw 09 Jun 2020

Myo Myint Zaw | DMG
9 June, Thandwe

The chair of the Arakan National Party (ANP) in Taungup Township’s Maei town, U Myo Lwin aka Maung Kae, was arrested by the Tatmadaw in the early hours of June 9, family members said.

“I don’t know why my husband was arrested. During the arrest, there were no police. The tactical operations commander, the No. 3 ward administrator of Maei town and 30 soldiers came and took my husband away in handcuffs,” said the local party official’s wife, Daw Khin Mar Win.

Family members are worried about the 46-year-old because they do not know where he is being detained.

“The military has not released any statement about the arrest of U Myo Lwin. Soldiers are near his house now. So, people cannot go and ask family members about the situation,” said U Hmaing, patron of the ANP in Taungup Township.

Early this month, three residents of Maei town’s Chet Pauk old village, as well as the associate secretary of the village’s ANP office and another ANP member were arrested by the Tatmadaw. The three villagers were later released but the ANP members remain in military custody, U Hmaing said.

Lawyer U Tin Nyo, vice chair-1 of the ANP’s Central Executive Committee, noted a pattern of the Tatmadaw arresting members of his party in Taungup and other Arakan State townships.

“Members of the ANP have been arrested, accused of having ties to the Arakan Army. It is easy to charge them under the Counter-Terrorism Law, but the accused have difficulty clearing their names. So, arrests and charges without evidence should not be done,” he said.

DMG phoned Brigadier-General Zaw Min Tun of the Tatmadaw True News Information Team seeking comment on the arrest of U Myo Lwin, but he could not be reached.