Four months after alleged military detention, no word on missing Minbya brothers  

By Hnin Nwe 01 Jul 2020

Hnin Nwe | DMG
1 July, Minbya 

Two brothers from Phar Pyo village in Arakan State’s Minbya Township are believed to have been detained by a local military contingent and have not been heard from in more than four months, family members said. 

Ko Than Shwe, 36, and his younger brother Ko Maung Win Shwe were reportedly arrested by Tatmadaw troops temporarily positioned near Rarmaung Bridge while they were going to the market in Minbya town to shop on March 1, said their father U Phyu Gyi. 

“I am worried for their safety because most people who have been in their [the Tatmadaw’s] hands have died. I’d like to ask them to release my sons if they are not guilty or put them on trial if they are guilty,” he said. 

Family members of the two brothers did not get a chance to meet them when they went to the Tatmadaw unit that reportedly detained them, U Phyu Gyi added. 

No information about the men has been received thus far and the family took their case to the Arakan Human Rights Defenders and Promoters Association on June 30. 

U Myat Tun, director of the Association, said: “We collected information on the detained people from their family. We will file a complaint with the Myanmar National Human Rights Commission this month.” 

DMG phoned Brigadier-General Zaw Min Tun and Major-General Tun Tun Nyi from the Tatmadaw True News Information Team seeking comment on the situation, but they could not be reached. 

The two detained brothers are involved in agriculture in the village, along with their father, residents said. 

Two people were killed and 11 homes in Phar Pyo village burned down in late March as a fire broke out that one local lawmaker blamed on the Tatmadaw. Earlier that same month, at least seven people were injured when artillery shells landed in the village.