Police plan to arrest Taungup woman for Facebook post

By DMG 29 Apr 2022

DMG Newsroom
29 April 2022, Taungup  

The Arakan State police on April 28 issued an arrest warrant for a woman from Taungup Township for allegedly posting a comment saying that she would donate to the buying of ammunition for anti-regime militants. 

The woman was identified as 26-year-old Ma May Lei Lei Kyaw Swe, who runs an online shop. The Arakan State police are preparing to take action against her for allegedly writing a comment on a fundraising post for the Facebook page of the Hands for Phoenix-Fundraising Team. 

“She was sued under Section 50(j) of the Counter-Terrorism Law,” an official with the Arakan State police’s Criminal Records Bureau told DMG on condition of anonymity. 

Ma May Lei Lei Kyaw Swe responded that the claim to donate money to buy ammunition was a false allegation by the police. 

“During this time, I could not afford to donate to another person because I was struggling to make ends meet. I even get frustrated with other personal matters. I have not done anything. While I have no money, I have to borrow from others,” she said. 

The Thandwe District Police were reportedly instructed to take action against her on April 28 and to report to the Arakan State police chief’s office by May 4. 

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. 

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 in February. 

Daw Nyein Ei Phyu Kyaw, Daw Tin Sandar Win and Daw San Cho Thaik were sentenced to 10 years in prison by the Thandwe District Court under Myanmar’s Counter-Terrorism Law on March 31.