Four in Kyaukphyu jailed for illegal possession of food

By Admin 10 Sep 2024

DMG Newsroom
10 September 2024, Kyaukphyu

A junta court in Arakan State's Kyaukphyu Township on Monday sentenced three women and a 17-year-old girl to one month in prison for allegedly carrying food without permission.

All four are from Gone Chun Village in Kyaukphyu Township, and they were arrested on the creek bank opposite Gone Chun Village on Sunday after crossing the Hlay Kyaung Creek.

One Gone Chun villager said: "They went to shop. They were arrested near Zediya Ward on the opposite bank. There were altogether six women, including two women from another village. The two were released later and all four women from our village were jailed."

Since November of last year, the regime has blockaded Kyaukphyu Town, imposing tight checks at the Kyauktalone checkpoint on the road at the entrance to Kyaukphyu as well as jetties in the town.

People in rural Kyaukphyu Township have been suffering from food shortages as a result. In a previous case, the regime in August handed down a one-month prison sentence to U Khin Maung Win, a 40-year-old tuk-tuk driver in Kyaukphyu Town, for illegally carrying food.

One Kyaukphyu woman said: "They did not commit crimes. Buying food for consumption is not a crime. The regime is violating human rights by jailing women and children."

The junta's blockades have resulted in shortages of goods and price hikes in Arakan State.

The regime has arrested over 200 Kyaukphyu residents since fighting broke out anew in Arakan State in November. At least 94 of them remain in custody. Among them are 86 males and eight females, including four minors.