Junta detains two men in Kyaukphyu

By Admin 24 Jun 2024

DMG Newsroom
24 June 2024, Kyaukphyu

The regime has detained two young men from Ohntaw Village, part of Arakan State’s Kyaukphyu Township, according to local residents.

Thingyan Aung aka Ko Soe Chay, 25, and Ko Soe Win Myint, 22, were taken from Ohntaw Village by junta soldiers at around 11 a.m. on June 22.

“Thingyan Aung was arrested while he was sitting near a middle school and another man was abducted from a cock-fight. The two men were taken to Kyaukphyu by a military truck at around 1 p.m. on Saturday,” said a villager.

DMG continues to attempt to contact family members of the detainees regarding the matter, and their whereabouts remain unknown.

“The two men were arrested by junta soldiers stationed on a hill near the village. The reason for the arrests remains unknown,” said a local man.

Since January, some junta soldiers have been deployed on the hill about a 15-minute walk from the village.

Young men in the village have gone into hiding in fear following the junta’s detention of the two youths.

The regime has detained more than 200 people in Kyaukphyu Township since the latest fighting in Arakan State began in November. Of the detainees, over 100 people were released, but 82 are still being held by the regime, according to a DMG tally.

Tensions between the military and Arakkha Army (AA) are currently running high in Kyaukphyu Township, and thousands of local people from at least 30 villages have been displaced by regime airstrikes and artillery attacks.

Clashes between the military and AA are frequently reported in Kyaukphyu, where multiple major Chinese-backed projects are located.