One of two plaintiffs testifies in trial of four students sued over anti-war protest in Sittwe

By DMG 02 Apr 2021

DMG Newsroom
2 April 2021, Sittwe

A local court in Sittwe Township on Friday heard one out of two plaintiffs in a case involving four students who were arrested last year and charged with incitement and violating Myanmar’s Natural Disaster Management Law. 

The four students face two charges — under Section 505(b) of the colonial-era Penal Code and Section 29 of the Natural Disaster Management Law — for their participation in an anti-war demonstration in October of last year.   

On Friday, the court heard the plaintiff, U Aung Zan Wai of the Natural Disaster Management Department, who opened the case against the foursome under the Natural Disaster Management Law. 

“U Aung Zan Wai was heard today. He said he did not know details about the case. The other case [involving the Penal Code charge] was not heard as the plaintiff didn’t show up,” said lawyer U Kyaw Nyunt Maung. 

The four standing trial are Ko Kyaw Naing Htay, Ko Oo Than Naing and Ko Myat Soe Win of the Arakan Students’ Union, and Ko Kaung Tun from the Arakan Students’ Union (Universities in Yangon). 

They were charged by the Sittwe Township police chief under Section 505(b) for participating in an anti-war protest in the state capital on October 19. 

At their initial court hearing in March, authorities brought an additional charge against the four under the Natural Disaster Management Law, for allegedly violating COVID-19 regulations. 

Ko Kyaw Naing Htay and Ko Oo Than Naing also face a lawsuit under Section 19 of the Peaceful Assembly and Procession Law for staging an unauthorised protest against human rights violations outside the Arakan State government offices in Sittwe in September of last year. Ko Toe Toe Aung, chairman of the Sittwe University Students Union, also took part in the September protest and faces the same charge.  

“We will face the lawsuit according to the law,” said Ko Toe Toe Aung. 

The next court hearing for the four students is scheduled for April 9.