Regime continues mass arrests of civilians in Sittwe

By Admin 30 May 2024

DMG Newsroom
30 May 2024, Sittwe

Myanmar’s military regime reportedly arrested dozens of civilians in the Arakan State capital Sittwe’s Sat Yoe Kya Ward on Wednesday afternoon.

Junta soldiers in seven military trucks arrived in Sat Yoe Kya Ward, conducted security checks and detained dozens of residents.

“Junta soldiers arrested all people on sight. Junta soldiers made the men sit on the road with their hands on their heads and took them to downtown Sittwe. The reason for the arrests remains unknown,” said a source.

The detainees included children, adults and married men and women. DMG continues to investigate the exact number of arrestees. Among them, U Kalar Aung, a man in his 40s, was shot dead by junta soldiers.

“All of my family members were abducted by the junta soldiers. The arrestees are being held at a school and they are not being fed. I have not been in contact with them to this day,” said a family member of one of the arrestees.

Six people were shot dead and eight others were injured after the military interrogated 275 residents of Kyauktan Village in Rathedaung Township during previous fighting in Arakan State. One of the injured died while receiving medical treatment.

Dozens of people abducted by the military regime are members of the grassroots who have had difficulties fleeing Sittwe due to financial constraints.

“When some people in Sat Yoe Kya Ward phoned me, they told me that junta soldiers raided the neighbourhood. Their mobile phones were switched off later. We are worried about their safety. They remain in Sittwe because they cannot give money to junta officials to flee Sittwe,” said a displaced woman.

The regime also carried out checks on monasteries and wards on the nights of May 17 and 18, purportedly to search for unregistered overnight guests. The regime has arrested more than 100 non-Sittwe natives in the Arakan State capital, according to residents.

The junta has arrested 425 civilians in the six months from November 13 to May 13, the United League of Arakan/Arakkha Army (ULA/AA) said in a statement on May 28.