Arakan State NLD calls for release of three detained former candidates

By Min Tun 30 Dec 2020

Min Tun | DMG
30 December 2020, Sittwe

The National League for Democracy (NLD) in Arakan State on Tuesday called again on the Arakan Army (AA) to immediately release three of the party’s candidates whom the armed group abducted in October.

In its December 29 statement, the Arakan chapter of the NLD said relatives of the detained candidates are extremely worried about their well-being while local residents live in fear.

The three NLD parliamentary hopefuls — Lower House candidate Daw Ni Ni May Myint, Upper House candidate Daw Chit Chit Chaw and Arakan State Parliament candidate U Min Aung — were abducted by the AA on the campaign trail in Taungup Township on October 14. They have been held in captivity for more than 70 days.

“As they have been detained for long, I want the AA to release them. As the election is over, and the new parliament is convening soon, they should be released by now,” said Daw Mya Yi, aunt of Daw Ni Ni May Myint.

“I am concerned about the health of my niece. She is not very fit. We want all of them to be released. They did nothing wrong,” she added.

The Arakan State NLD in its statement said releasing the detained candidates would contribute a great deal to the federalisation of Myanmar in future, requesting that the armed group release the trio immediately.

The NLD Central Executive Committee has also released statements twice previously calling for the immediate release of the three once-were candidates.

The AA, which is currently reportedly negotiating a bilateral ceasefire with Myanmar’s military, said in November that it had treated well and did not torture the three candidates, and would release them when the two sides reached mutual understanding.

The Arakanese armed group also called on the NLD government to immediately release, on humanitarian grounds, Arakanese civilians and politicians who were arrested on suspicion of having ties to the AA; relatives of the United League of Arakan (ULA), the political wing of the AA; and anti-war student protesters who were arrested by the government in the latter half of 2020.