Regime detains at least 50 Sittwe residents

By Admin 14 Sep 2024

DMG Newsroom
14 September 2024, Sittwe

Myanmar’s military regime reportedly detained at least 50 local residents including young children and women in the Arakan State capital Sittwe on Friday.

Junta soldiers arrested dozens of local residents from Oh Tan, Mizan and Shwepyar wards in Sittwe at around 2 p.m. on September 13 on the pretext of having conducted overnight guest checks.

“Dozens of local residents in Sittwe were taken in three police vehicles. Among the arrestees are infants and women,” a resident of Sittwe told DMG.

The regime initially arrested at least 70 people but released some detainees later.

“Junta soldiers and police arrested all people on sight. Among the arrestees was an elderly man riding a bicycle,” said a local woman in Sittwe.

Around 100 junta soldiers were deployed near Sittwe General Hospital, the No. 1 police station and along Sittwe’s Strand Road on September 13.

The detainees are reportedly being held at Sittwe’s No. 1 police station. DMG is still investigating the names and other details of those arrested.

DMG attempted to contact Arakan State military council spokesman U Hla Thein regarding the matter, but he could not be reached.

Commodities are low in supply or have run out entirely in many Arakan State townships since the junta blocked off land and water routes to the state since November. The regime has since arrested many local residents who were transporting stored goods in Sittwe.

“The regime is arresting people for no reason. It is no longer safe for people to even stay at home. People are unable to go to a safe place due to the junta blockades. We cannot afford to fly to a safe place,” said another woman in Sittwe.

The junta detained at least 700 local residents in Sittwe during the two months from May 1 to June 30, and released about 300 detainees on bail, according to DMG tallies.