Taungup residents describe crime wave as junta blockades take toll

By Admin 12 Sep 2024

DMG Newsroom
12 September 2024, Taungup

Gang theft, looting and robbery are on the rise in Taungup, Arakan State, which remains under the control of Myanmar's military regime, according to local residents.

A robbery occurred at the home of U Khin Maung and his wife in Taungup's Ward 1 on the night of September 11. U Khin Maung and his wife were injured after they fought back against about 10 masked men armed with knives.

"The couple was sleeping when masked men entered their home. U Khin Maung and one of the robbers wrestled. When the wife called out to the people in the neighbourhood, the robbers ran away, and the two of them were injured," said a resident of Taungup.

U Khin Maung is a former police officer and the couple suffered stab wounds, and are currently being treated at Taungup Hospital.

Locals in Taungup face food shortages and livelihood hardships due to rising commodity prices and junta blockades.

Break-ins, theft and looting are on the rise in Taungup, and residents are on edge.

"We dare not say anything when we see incidents of burglary and theft. We are afraid that we will be harmed by burglars in groups," said a local woman in Taungup.

Clashes have resumed between the military regime and the Arakkha Army (AA) in Taungup Township, after a period of relative calm, with the junta sending reinforcements to the area.

Though Taungup remains under the control of the military regime, administrative mechanisms such as the judiciary, basic bureaucracy and law enforcement are by varying degrees no longer functioning, adding to residents' feelings of insecurity.