Myanmar army detains three Kyaukphyu villagers

By Win Nyunt 15 Aug 2020

Win Nyunt | DMG
15 August, Sittwe

Three residents of Kat Thabyay village in Arakan State’s Kyaukphyu Township were taken from their homes and arrested by military personnel on August 14, according to family members.

Members of the security forces gathered residents in the village monastery and ultimately left with three men — identified as U Ba Than Shwe, 48, U Wai Thee Aung, 47, and U Than Myat Shwe — in their custody, the wife of U Ba Than Shwe told DMG.

“The military contingent entered our village, mobilised locals in the village’s monastery and took my husband to undergo interrogation. My husband is innocent and he did nothing wrong,” Daw Khin Saw said.

Kat Thabyay village administrator U Khin Maung Oo confirmed that three villagers were detained by the military.

“They [military personnel] entered the village and forced us to gather all residents in the village’s monastery. They arrested three residents on suspicion of having ties to the Arakan Army and conducted a house search in the village,” he said.

DMG contacted Brig-Gen Zaw Min Tun and Maj-Gen Tun Tun Nyi of the Tatmadaw True News Information Team for comment on the military’s arrest of the three Kat Thabyay villagers, but they could not be reached.

The military also arrested nine residents of Kat Thabyay village on June 26 and a 100-household head from Sai Chone Dwein village in Kyaukphyu Township on June 28. The military released two of the 10 detainees and charged the remaining eight under Section 50(a) and Section 52(j) of Myanmar’s Counter-Terrorism Law.