Court to examine Thandwe men accused of terrorism at March 23 hearing

By DMG 17 Mar 2022

DMG Newsroom
17 March 2022, Thandwe

Ko Sein Chit and Ko Ye Naing Oo from Arakan State’s Thandwe Township, who have been accused of ties to the anti-regime People’s Defence Force (PDF), will be examined at a court hearing next week as the plaintiff and prosecution witnesses in the case have already been questioned, according to the defendants’ lawyer.

Captain Nay Zaw Htet from Ngapali-based Battalion No. 55 opened the case against the two men under Section 52(a) of the Counter-Terrorism Law, after they were arrested on October 9, 2021, and accused of having links to the PDF.

During a hearing on Thursday, Kyaw Myint, a sergeant from the Military Security Force, was summoned to testify as a witness as the two defendants have denied having any ties to the PDFs, said Daw Theingi Maung, the lawyer involved in the case.

The two defendants will be examined at the next court hearing, scheduled for March 23, she added.

“Kyaw Myint, a sergeant, has been summoned to testify during today’s hearing. Ko Sein Chit and Ko Ye Naing Oo will be questioned at the next hearing,” she said.

There are 13 prosecution witnesses and 10 defence witnesses in the case of Ko Sein Chit and Ko Ye Naing Oo, according to the lawyer. The two defendants are social workers in Thandwe Township, and their alleged links to anti-regime forces are nothing more than unfounded accusations, their families say.

The author Ko Min Di Par from Mrauk-U Township, who was arrested on suspicion of financing the PDF and charged under the Counter-Terrorism Law, was sentenced to 10 years in prison with hard labour on February 25.

The military regime has charged at least 10 people from Arakan State’s Taungup, Thandwe and Mrauk-U townships for allegedly providing financial aid to the PDF, or otherwise having illegal ties to the anti-regime militia group.