Muslims detained in Mon State facing prison time under immigration law

By Admin 17 Aug 2023

DMG Newsroom
17 August 2023, Sittwe

A total of 143 Muslims detained in Mon State’s Thanbyuzayat have been charged under Section 6(3) of the Residents of Burma Registration Act, according to a source close to the Mon State Police Force.

Junta police arrested 145 Muslims hiding in four trucks near Wekhame Village on the Ye-Thanbyuzayat road on August 11. Police opened a case against 143 of them under the immigration law on Wednesday, and sent them to Kyaikmaraw Prison from Thanbyuzayat police station, said the source.

The two other Muslims, who are minors, would be sent to the Nghet Awe San juvenile centre in Yangon, according to sources close to the Thanbyuzayat police station.

The detained Muslims are reportedly from refugee camps in Bangladesh and were heading to Malaysia.

“As they were unemployed and struggling at refugee camps in Bangladesh, they contacted brokers to bring them to Malaysia. Many were arrested as they tried to cross the border illegally. And the regime wants to imprison them once they are spotted. So, they ended up having their rights violated,” said human rights activist Ko Ye Min.

Section 6(3) of the 1949 Residents of Burma Registration Act prescribes a maximum sentence of two years in prison with or without hard labour.

From September of last year to August, at least 500 stateless Muslims were arrested in Mon State and jailed under immigration law.