Mon State’s Kyaikto hit by arrest of dozens of anti-regime activists in recent months

05 Jan 2022

DMG Newsroom
5 January 2022, Kyaikto, Mon State 

The number of people arrested by the junta under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code in Kyaikto Township, Mon State, is increasing, with at least 30 people arrested in the past four months. 

Six people selling robes at Kyaiktiyo Pagoda were arrested by military council members on December 30, 2021, according to the pagoda’s board of trustees. Of the arrestees, two were members of the Kyaiktiyo Pagoda board of trustees. 

The arrestees stand accused of funding the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw (CRPH) and People’s Defence Forces (PDFs), and face charges under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code, a member of the pagoda’s board of trustees told DMG. 

“The arrestees are currently detained at Kyaikto Myoma police station. They were arrested for allegedly providing financial assistance to the National Unity Government (NUG), CRPH, and anti-regime forces. Their conditions are still unknown,” the board member added. 

According to sources close to the Kyaikto Myoma police station, another 20 people were detained on January 1 in connection with the initial arrests. 

The military regime reportedly detained Daw Khin Aye Mon and Ko Nay Phyo Zan, the wife and son of Dr. Aye Zan, Mon State chief minister under the deposed National League for Democracy (NLD) government, on Monday evening in Paing Thonkhwa village, Kyaikto Township. 

A neighbour close to Dr. Aye Zan said that during the arrest, military council members opened fire on nearby houses. 

“They were forcibly arrested by junta soldiers who opened fire on nearby homes. I don’t know exactly whether anyone was hurt or not,” the source added. As of this article’s publication, it was still not known where Dr. Aye Zan’s wife and son were taken. 

At least 10 youths, including the chairman of the Kyaikto Township Funeral Service, were arrested by regime forces under Section 505(a) of the Penal Code in November.

As many as 200 dissidents have been arrested in Kyaikto Township since the military coup in February of last year, including a Kyaikto correspondent from The Voice of Thanbyuzayat who was among dozens released in a September amnesty. 

Some still detained are facing trial from Kyaikmaraw Prison in Mon State.