Court hearing of detained Mingan residents begins in Sittwe

By Admin 24 Aug 2024

DMG Newsroom
24 August 2024, Sittwe

The court trial of over 40 residents from Mingan Ward in Sittwe town charged under Section 17 (1) of the Unlawful Association Act for allegedly having ties to the Arakkha Army (AA) began on Wednesday, according to family members, with the second court hearing taking  place on Friday. 

“We heard that prosecution witnesses were heard, that the court will hear the case speedily because of the military situation. We know nothing else,” said a family member.

Junta soldiers raided four blocks in Mingan Ward on June 16, arresting over 200 residents. Though most of them were released later, over 40 including men, women and elderly persons were prosecuted.

One resident said: “My friend was also prosecuted under Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act. He is just a motorbike taxi driver. He was arrested during the nighttime raid. He is innocent and has no ties with any organisation.”

The regime has tightened security in Sittwe, and also bars residents from leaving the town. It carries out surprise checks on households on the pretext of unregistered guest inspection. Most of those detained were either prosecuted or released after bribing junta officials.

One Sittwe woman said: “Many arrests go unreported in Sittwe. We live in constant fear that we might also get arrested one day. We don’t feel safe even though we did nothing wrong.”

According to a DMG tally, the regime arrested at least 700 residents in Sittwe Township in the two months from May 1 to June 30.