Detained Kyauktaw activist seeks medical treatment for eye pain 

By DMG 14 Jul 2022

DMG Newsroom
14 July 2022, Kyauktaw 

Family members are worried about the health of the political and social activist Ko Zaw Win aka Ludu Zaw Win, who was charged with incitement under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code, as he is suffering from eye pain. 

Prior to his arrest on June 21, Ko Zaw Win had been to the eye clinic frequently. He told his wife on July 5 that he continued to suffer from eye pain behind bars. 

“He told me that he suffered from eye pain after he was arrested and interrogated by the Myanmar military,” said his wife, Daw Khin Hla Zan. “I think it is because the authorities blindfolded him when they interrogated him. He told me that his right eye could not see clearly, as if something was covering it. He also has various diseases, so I’m worried about him.” 

Ko Zaw Win told the head of the Kyauktaw police station, where he is being detained, that he wanted to be treated by an eye specialist, she said, given the delicate and vital nature of the organ. 

“He has yet to see the doctor at the eye clinic [since being detained],” Daw Khin Hla Zan told DMG, adding that her husband had asked the head of the Kyauktaw police station to see a licenced ophthalmologist. 

Three Kyauktaw residents including Ko Zaw Win were arrested on June 21 and charged with incitement under Section 505 of the Penal Code. They appeared before a Kyauktaw court on July 13. 

The other two men, U Kyaw Than Maung and Ko Zaw Moe Htet, were prosecuted after the military allegedly found photos of the Arakan Army on their mobile phones, according to family members. It is still not known why Ko Zaw Win was charged. 

“I don’t know why my husband was arrested and charged with incitement under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code. The court officials did not explain why my husband was sued. I have no idea why my husband was charged,” she said. 

On July 8, U Kyaw Than Maung required hospitalisation and underwent medical treatment due to high blood pressure. 

The military arrested at least 50 locals in Sittwe, Kyauktaw, Ponnagyun and Mrauk-U townships last month, after the Arakan Army detained 14 junta soldiers and police personnel. The Myanmar military has not released any information on the condition or status of the detainees.