Eight Amyint Kyun villagers remain in junta custody

By Admin 06 Jul 2024

DMG Newsroom
6 July 2024, Sittwe

Eight of 46 abducted residents of Amyint Kyun Village in Sittwe Township remain in detention, according to family members.

Around 60 junta troops raided Amyint Kyun village on June 22, and gathered male villagers on the ground at the centre of the village before abducting 46 residents aged between 18 and 40.

Thirty-eight villagers were released on Wednesday, but eight people remain in custody at a battalion near Amyint Kyun Village.

A family member of a male villager who has been released said: “Those who have tattoos of the Arakan flag or ‘Arakan’ on their bodies and arms are not yet released. Family members are concerned for their safety.”

The regime had ordered Amyint Kyun villagers to vacate their village by June 26. Villagers had fled to Sittwe, Ponnagyun and Rathedaung towns.

One Amyint Kyun villager who fled to an area controlled by the Arakkha Army (AA) said: “Everyone has left the village. I heard junta troops have looted houses.”

Last month, the regime forcibly moved residents of at least 14 villages in Sittwe Township to Sittwe Town. Junta soldiers have since occupied those villages.

The regime arrested more than 200 residents including children from Mingan Ward in Sittwe Town on June 16. Many were released after ransom money was paid. At least 40 others were prosecuted under Section 17(1) of the Unlawful Associations Act.

The regime raided Byaing Phyu Village in Sittwe Township on May 29, arresting more than 300 residents and killing 76 of them. It has also filed lawsuits against some detainees.