Over 200 villagers questioned by Tatmadaw

By Khaing Roe La 01 May 2019

Khaing Roe La/ DMG

May 1, Rathedaung

More than 200 villagers from Kyauktan village in Rathedaung Township were summoned to a village school for questioning by No. 22 Brigade, according to locals.

On April 30 and May 1, a Tatmadaw column entered the village and told the village crier to summon all men in the village to the school and they were checking household member lists and village population data, a villager who asked not to be named said.

“Villagers had to go to the school. While men were at the school, soldiers checked household member lists at the relevant homes.  They also recorded the license plate numbers of motorbikes for their records,” the villager said.

On the evening of April 30, villagers under 15 years old and over 50 years old were released.

About 210 villagers, who are between 15 years old and 50 years old, have currently been detained for questioning, and four of them are educational staff, said another local resident from Kyauktan village who asked not to be named.

“People are concerned about their family members because they do not know what will happen if their family members were sent to jail or killed. They are worried that detained villagers will be charge under unlawful association act,” the villager said.

U Tin Maung Win, Arakan State Hluttaw representative for Rathedaung Township and members tried to meet with the detained villagers, but they were not allowed to enter the village.

“We cannot enter the village. We were told we couldn’t enter the village when we arrived at bridge near the village.  The army told us that they were checking around the village. We didn’t know what was happening in the village. We are trying to meet with detained villagers,” U Tin Maung Win told the DMG at about 12 pm on Wednesday.

The DMG contacted Brig-Gen Tun Tun Nyi, secretary of the Tatmadaw True News Information Team, he replied that he did not know all the facts regarding the situation as of now.